How We Met You, Baby
by MajorSam
Summary: "I've always known I was an accident… thanks in no small part to you, dad." She glared at her father. Castle smirked and shrugged. "I just didn't know there was a story to it. And judging by the reaction of the crowd… I'm in."
1. Chapter 1

**How We Met You, Baby**

**Copyright MajorSam, 2014**

* * *

Disclaimer: None of dis be mine. Alas. Completely unbeta'd and written while very, very tired. Funny how the best ideas come then. On the off chance any of you are Sanctuary fans... I call this... my Nubbins fic ;)

Set 15 years in the future, and in the spring of 2014.

* * *

"Oh man if you think that's funny you should hear how _you_ ended up here!" cackled Esposito.

Castle choked on his drink. Alexis gasped. Martha "oohed". Lanie slapped Espo's arm. Jenny giggled while Ryan tried to keep a straight face. And Beckett… Beckett delivered a glare that could take down a nation. This spontaneous summer gathering was _not_ supposed to have gone down that path.

"I sense something salaaaacious," Jaime crowed.

"Good word," Castle complimented under his breath. 14 years old and she'd been whipping him at scrabble for years.

"I really don't think you want to hear that story," Kate declared shortly.

"Oh come on, Beckett!" Esposito protested. "It's not that bad! Well actually… but who cares, it's hilarious."

"Javi…"

"She's heard stories that are way worse!"

"Not involving her _parents_!"

"I wanna know!" piped up Benjamin.

"And it's nowhere near appropriate for an 11 year old!"

"It is, it's fine, I promise," the boy swore with those big, round, blue eyes. Kate leveled her glare on him but he just grinned wider. At least Elizabeth was at a friend's house. No way would Kate allow her baby girl to hear this.

"It involves dead people," Beckett warned. Her son nodded enthusiastically. "And naked people." He made a face but breathed deep and nodded. The former-Detective-now-Captain had tried to keep her offspring innocent for as long as possible but Castle children had a way of finding things out. And, thankfully, handling it all astonishingly well.

Beckett looked around at all the smirking and expectant faces. She'd known they would never live this down. With a sigh edging towards defeat she looked back to her daughter.

"You seriously want to know the circumstances of your conception?"

"While I would normally avoid all conversation about your guys' sex life… I've always known I was an accident… thanks in no small part to you, dad." She glared at her father, who smirked and shrugged. "I just didn't know there was a story to it. And judging by the reaction of the crowd… I'm in."

"I guess this had to come out at some point," Beckett groused. This was not how she'd expected the impromptu Sunday family day to go. She sighed and looked into the big, round eyes of her son. Crap... she could never resist Castle blues.

"Should I get popcorn?" he asked. Her team laughed and Castle proudly ruffled his son's hair.

"Might as well," Kate conceded. He cheered and bounded towards the kitchen while her friends and family found seating around the loft's spacious living room. She settled down into a plush single armchair and felt their eyes focus in on her.

Wait, Castle was the storyteller… why was she doing this?

"Castle," she commanded.

"You really want this story told from _my_ point of view?" he asked in a shocked voice as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh lord," she groaned. "Fine. We'll do it together. In a nice, censored way."

"Excellent," he clapped his hands together. "Once upon a time…"

"Seriously?"

* * *

15 years earlier, April 2014

"Oh have we got a case for you," Espo crooned. "Just called in."

"Seriously guys," Ryan grinned and nodded.

"Okay?" Beckett questioned as she and Castle walked towards her desk.

"Two victims," Espo began.

"In the middle of Central Park," Ryan added.

"Totally naked."

"In the middle of… The Act."

Castle ooohed while Beckett frowned. "Two people were killed while in the midst of having sex?"

"But here's the thing…" Kevin grinned.

"There are absolutely no signs of gun shots, knife wounds, needle marks, strangulation, or any other type of physical mark to suggest _how_ they died."

Her frown deepened. "What does that even mean?"

"It means," Castle piped up with an excited squeak to his voice. "That they were either poisoned or literally _sexed each other to death_!"

She leveled her fiancé with a look. "Really, Castle? Sexed?"

"Well we're at the precinct, I didn't want to say fu…"

"Alright then," Beckett interrupted loudly. "To the park we go?"

"Been waitin for you two to arrive," Lanie chuckled as Castle and Beckett approached. Esposito had wanted to join but Captain Gates had ordered him to catch up on some paperwork. In a show of support Ryan had stayed behind to help.

"Good morning to you to," Beckett replied as she crouched down beside her friend to examine the bodies.

Very dead. Very naked. Very much still joined in the holy act of love.

"At least they died happy," Castle sagely offered.

Lanie's eye roll was almost as impressive as Beckett's.

"Two victims," Lanie pointed out "One male, one female, both Caucasian and in their early or mid 30's. So far I can't find anything to indicate cause of death," the ME began. "The scratches and bruising all appear to have been caused during their activities. We'll check DNA under their fingernails to make sure, of course. All indicators point to time of death being between 7 and 8am this morning."

"That's just a little while ago," Beckett commented as she stood up and walked around the bodies, trying to see something new.

"Yup," Lanie confirmed.

"So they just… decided to have sex in broad daylight in the middle of a public park?"

"Hey," Castle defended, "When the mood strikes…"

She shot him a look but he just waggled his brows even further. He was going to be intolerable this case, she could feel it.

"Hastings," Beckett called noticing the young cop on site. "Any wallets, i.d's, anything like that?"

"No ma'am," she shook her head as she looked at her notepad. "Nothing at all. No purses, wallets, keys, not even a trace of clothing."

"Okay. Keep looking. I'll send down a few more unis to canvass the area and hopefully find us some witnesses."

"Um, Detective?" another cop interjected.

"Yes, Morabito?"

"I found a witness."

The cop gestured that the man beside him could step forward. Well, not so much a man as a boy.

"Oh shit man, it was unreal!" he began before she could even ask him name. His sandy blonde hair swung into his eyes as he ran his hands through his hair. "They were going at it like _crazy_!"

Beckett held her hand up to stop Castle before he could even begin. He smashed his lips together and rocked back on his heels.

"They just ran out of the trees laughing and dancing and then they guy grabbed her arm and they stopped and then suddenly just dropped to the ground and started going for it." The boy's gestures were wholly unnecessary.

"And then…?" Beckett tried to lead him forward in his happy recall.

"And then they just… stopped," he breathed in wonder. "They slowed down and I thought they were just getting into some real lovin but… they didn't. They just stopped moving right like that, right how you see them."

"Did you see anyone else in the area?"

"Nope, just me."

"You're sure? Maybe you just didn't see someone quickly approach them and,"

"Look lady, uh… Ma'am… It was just me, I swear it. There wasn't nobody who shot them, stabbed them, nothing. They just straight up stopped."

"And what, exactly, were you doing in the park at the time?" She stepped forward crowding ever so slightly into his space. With her heeled boots she stood five inches higher than him. He looked up at her and gulped. "I was just on my way home from my buddies. We were gaming and lost track of time. When I saw them I just… I couldn't look away, y'know?"

She stayed silent, watching his face closely for any sign of falsehood. He twitched under her gaze. "Okay fine, maybe that makes me a pervert but I swear I didn't do it!"

"I think we're going to have to make a little trip to verify that," she informed him. "What did you say your name was?"

"Tyler," he supplied glumly.

Beckett nodded at Morabito. "Please escort Tyler here to a car. I'll see him in interrogation as soon as we get back."

Morabito nodded sharply and led the now passive witness away.

The detective folded her arms and frowned down at her victims, willing them to give up just a hint of who they were. Instead all she got was the undeniable prickle of Castle's eyes boring into her back.

"What?" she finally gave in.

"Oh my goodness I don't even know where to begin!" Castle clapped his hands, vibrating with excitement. "They're from the future, where clothes are no longer needed and identification doesn't matter. Their people simply roam the lands, mating as they please and living a simple, glorious life."

Beckett sighed and closed her eyes. Lanie gave a dramatic whistle. He was starting with a bang and could only get worse.

"Wait, no!" he exclaimed. "They're not from the future they're from the past! It's Adam and Eve, magically transported through time from the Garden of Eden in the midst of discovering the sacred act of procreation. The rigours of their journey led them to a sudden and tragic end!"

"I think it's time for me to get them to the morgue," Lanie announced before Castle could get started on his next one.

"Call me as soon as you have anything!"

"As I always do."

The partners watched the ME call out orders for transport before turning towards each other.

"No, Castle," she pushed her index finger into his chest to stop him in his tracks. "No more theories yet. Please. Let's just take a look around then get back to the precinct."

"You're going to have to hear them sometime," he warned.

"Do I?" she arched an eyebrow and started walking away.

"You do!" he vowed running after her. His grin nearly split his face apart.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

Well... Intrigued?


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously on…_

_"No, Castle," she pushed her index finger into his chest to stop him in his tracks. "No more theories yet. Please. Let's just take a look around then get back to the precinct."_

_"You're going to have to hear them sometime," he warned._

_"Do I?" she arched an eyebrow and started walking away._

_"You do!" he vowed running after her. His grin nearly split his face apart._

* * *

40 minutes later

"So, Tyler…" Beckett drawled as she slowly opened up a folder. It was amazing how much information a cop could find in just 20 minutes. The boy gulped and nervously rubbed his hands together on top of the table.

"It seems you're actually a pretty decent kid."

He visibly deflated in his chair, slumping down and releasing a breath.

Beckett raised an eyebrow. "I said it _seems_."

He straightened.

"Let's go through what you saw again."

The teenager was quick to repeat his version of events.

"What direction did you see them coming from?"

"Uh… North… like, North-West, I guess?"

"Did you see them come around any specific street corners?"

"No, just saw them in the park."

"Were they already naked?"

"Yup."

"You didn't see them drop any personal belongings along the way?"

"Nope. Not a thing on or around them."

"And what time was this?"

"Uh… I first saw them… musta been… oh, hold on, I took a picture!"

He rushed to retrieve his phone from his pocket, not seeing the detectives eyebrow, raised even higher now, until he already had the picture up. His face turned red. "I, uh…"

"Just show me the picture, Mr. Perkins."

She accepted the phone and peered at the picture. The lighting wasn't great, the sun not yet in full blaze but it was indeed the victims, running through the park sans outerwear. Or underwear. The time stamp read 7:17am. She flipped to the next picture. As she suspected Tyler had in fact taken more than one. It was the couple on the ground, time stamp 07:25. If Lanie's TOD estimate of 7-8am held, Tyler's picture narrowed down the window of death significantly. She flipped again.

"Oookay then," she said, slapping the phone to the table. Good lord, was that really what teenage boys had on their phones these days? For anyone to just accidentally come across? "Only two pictures of the vicitms, then," she coughed. Tyler frowned then turned even redder, closing his eyes and looking like he wanted to disappear through the floor.

"Umm… yeah…"

"We're going to need to make copies of those. And to delete them from your phone."

"Sure, yeah," he mumbled.

"Did you send them to any of your friends?"

He cringed and nodded. Beckett sighed. "Alright then, we're going to need to see them as well."

He nodded while his face brightened just a touch. His friends might hate him for it, but they also might think it was awesome. Being called in by the police but not actually being arrested? Sweet for street cred. Emily Watcombe would probably think it was badass…

"Did you tweet, facebook, or post them on any other social media program or webpage?"

He shook his head. "I was going to but then you guys showed up."

Small mercies.

Beckett opened a new page on her notepad and poised her pen. "Alright then, names and addresses of everyone you sent them too, please."

She really hated modern technology sometimes.

* * *

Two hours later

"Oh god, Castle, you don't know how gooood this is…" Kate moaned.

He stared jealously at the cup of coffee he'd just handed to her. How he wished the break room wasn't a giant fishbowl of open glass walls. He shoved his hands in his pocket before he could do anything stupid. Everyone was used to them being a couple, they were getting married in a few months for crying out loud, but Kate still insisted they stay professional at the precinct. Sure it was part of their agreement with Gates for her continued acceptance, but…

He simply replied "I try."

"And succeed," she looked up at him warmly and he stood a little taller.

"Did the kid's story check out?"

Kate laughed softly and shook her head in amusement. "Yeah. Talked to his friends and their parents. He was culling alien hordes until seven. Woke the parents up early with their roars of victory. Of course the pictures on his phone prove he was at the crime scene extremely close to the time of death and probably during, but I have a feeling he didn't do it. Only scene he was involved with was the war zone of empty red bull cans and chip bags."

Castle nodded his agreement with a glint of understanding in his eyes that Kate didn't even want to know about. He really was just a giant kid.

"I've got LT and a few other Unis rounding up his friends and dealing with the pictures."

Castle shuddered. "I hope no one ever searches through my phone for evidence…"

She looked at him sharply. "What does that mean?"

Castle's eyes went wide. "Wait, no, I didn't mean…"

"Castle," she narrowed her eyes and stalked slowly forward. "What kind of pictures do you have on your phone?"

"I'm sure they're nothing like the ones on the kids'!" he spluttered. "I swear!"

"You don't even know what they were!"

"Well, no, but… I mean, I was a teenage boy once too and…"

"Sometimes I think you still are!"

She was toe to toe with him by now and he visibly cowered.

"I'm going to ask just One. More. Time," she said in a low voice. "What do you have on your phone that you're afraid someone might find?"

Beckett knew they had photos of each other that NO one else would EVER see. But they'd explicitly agreed that none of _those_ kinds of pictures would stay on their phones. Way too hard to properly hide and secure. Neither of them could afford any kind of mishap or leak.

He still wasn't answering. Her glare intensified and finally he squeaked an "Okay, okay! Geez woman!" and took his phone out of his pocket. His face scrunched in embarrassment as he sifted through to find a specific picture. With a deep breath he closed his eyes and showed her.

For the first second she could only stare, her mouth dropping. Then she burst into laughter.

"Hey!" Castle pouted.

"Oh god Castle, I was actually worried for a second there, but… _this_…!" She clapped a hand over her mouth and tried to stifle her laughter, already seeing a detective in the main bullpen look curiously over.

"Shut up," he mumbled, serving only to intensify her glee.

"I'm sorry, babe, but… this is just…"

He growled and plopped down into a chair.

She toned down her laughter and shook her head at him in affectionate disbelief. "Sometimes you…"

He looked up at her with a hurt-little-boy-face, but in the depths of his blue eyes she could see actual worry. She took pity on him and sat down on the couch facing him, reaching out to grasp his hands. "Sometimes you make me wonder how I could ever deserve the love you give me," she admitted quietly. His eyes lit back up again.

"No, Kate, it's me who couldn't possibly deserve…"

"Okay, stop right there," she laughed holding up a hand. "Let's not get into this discussion again, okay?"

He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "Fine," he sighed dramatically. She grinned, gave a brief scan of the bullpen, then quickly leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.

"Good, cause we have a case to work on!"

"We do indeed!" he nodded smartly. "Anything from Lanie yet?"

"Actually yeah, she just called. Definitely no outward causes of death. She's got blood work and tox-screens going now. She's pretty sure it'll just be poison."

"Amazing how we live in a world where poison is pre-faced with '_Just_'." Castle observed.

"Yeah, well, we do."

"And how lucky we are. To still be the ones living, that is."

She smiled again. "In the meantime, though, we still haven't found out who they are. We got some pictures from the morgue which I've sent to the uni's on site. Hopefully someone in the area will recognize them."

Castle shuddered. "I hope if I'm ever found naked and dead in Central Park with no ID that my fame will be enough for whoever finds me to immediately identify my rugged features. Morgue table portraits are _not_ flattering."

"Wow, Castle," she laughed and shook her head at him. "I think if you're _dead_, an unflattering picture will be the least of your worries."

"You don't know that," he argued. "I could be floating around in heaven looking down at the besmirching of my handsome face, expounding the woes of my Earthly legacy melting away until all I'm remembered for is a picture of my pale, cold corpse."

"More likely you'll be far away from the precinct haunting some poor, unsuspecting soul."

"You may be right about that."

She took a smug sip of coffee. "I know I am."

He was about to suggest a lunch break when her desk phone rang. She hurried over to it.

"Beckett," she answered. He waited with bated breath as she nodded, "hmm'ed" and wrote something down.

"We've got a possible ID!" she said as she hung up.

"Already?"

"Apparently the woman's roommate had noticed her acting weird last night. She was worried and when she didn't come home, she'd kept her eyes open for any police alerts. She's heading to the morgue now."

"Shall we?" He asked, standing up and making his way from the break room to her desk, grabbing her coat from her chair.

"We shall," she nodded, accepting his help into the long, brown trench. As they walked out the door she realized she still had his cell phone in her hand. They boarded the elevator, another detective joining them at the last second.

"Hey, Gordon!" Castle greeted cheerfully. While the two struck up a conversation, Kate glanced down at her fiancé's phone, swiftly touching a few buttons and texting the secret picture to her own phone. She had to bite her lip to keep from giggling as she pushed send.

It was a picture of her from the day they visited the Museum of Natural History. She was grinning like a mad fool in love in front of the African Elephant display. He had walked behind her all the way to it, his hands over her eyes, her laughing like a child as she kept asking "Are we there yet?" not even knowing where they were going. He'd wanted to surprise her. It had been a perfect day. The picture itself was heartwarming. But it was the fact that he'd used some kind of app to circle her face in a giant pink heart with the letters "R + K" written underneath that had made her laugh. Yes, sometimes Richard Castle was like a teenage boy. But sometimes he was even more like a teenage girl. And she wouldn't have him any other way.

* * *

"Ugh…" Jaime interjected, snapping everyone out of the trance the story had woven. "First of all… really, Dad?"

He blushed and Kate stroked his cheek, grinning.

"Secondly… why does everyone think teenage girls all draw hearts and rainbows everywhere? Seriously? I have never once…"

"Okay, woah there buddy," Kate laughed. "We're not making any commentary on you here. We know you're much more evolved than your weak, pandering classmates."

"Sure am," she mumbled. "Rather draw crime scenes than flower bushes."

"And we're so proud," Castle beamed.

"Are we forgiven? Do we have permission to continue?" Martha theatrically inquired.

Jaime nodded.

* * *

"Hi, I'm Detective Kate Beckett, and this is Richard Castle."

The hall outside the morgue needed better lighting. The dim cast to the hallway made everyone's skin sallow, shadows drawn, and the mood even more somber than it already was.

"Hi," the short, brown haired roommate replied with a nervous smile, shaking their hands. "Jill. Teedly."

"You had some concerns about your roommate?"

"Yes. My roommate, Natalie. She was acting really weird last night. Her boyfriend is bad news, so when I woke up this morning and she still wasn't back…"

"Let's go see if we've found her," Beckett suggested gently. Jill took a deep breath and nodded her head, wringing her purse strings in her hand.

They entered the morgue, brighter, but no less intimidating. Lanie smiled gently at the young woman as they came to the table.

"You ready?" the ME asked.

Jill nodded again and Lanie pulled back the sheet.

"Oh god," Jill choked, a hand flying to her mouth. "That's her. That's Nat."

"And…?" Beckett subtly led her to look to the other table. Lanie revealed the second victim.

"Kyle."

"Do you know their last names?"

Jill looked at her with watery, somewhat glazed eyes.

"You know what," Beckett redirected. "Why don't we head outside and we can sit down to talk while Castle gets us some coffee."

The writer nodded sharply and held the doors open for them before hurrying off. Beckett and the roommate found a bench a little ways down and sat.

"Natalie Jenkins and Kyle Swaslie," she sniffed.

"Take your time, it's okay."

"She works… worked at the Vitamin Shoppe on 8th. That's where they met. He came in asking for some protein supplement or something. She liked the bad boy vibe. I never did. I only met him once but he just didn't seem good, you know? I tried to tell her, I _knew_ he would get her in trouble someday but I never thought…" She broke off with a sob, her hand flying to her mouth. "I should have tried harder, _made_ her see that he was going to get her into trouble! I…"

"No, Jill, no! This was not your fault in any way. I'm sure you did everything you could."

The young woman continued to sob but nodded her head. Beckett stayed silent, letting her gather herself before offering her a tissue. Jill gave a wobbly smile of gratitude before blowing her nose.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"No need to apologize," Kate smiled kindly. "Do you think you're ready to talk some more, or do you need another minute?"

Jill rolled her shoulders back and sat up. After a deep breath she declared "No, I'm good. Let's talk."

* * *

"Alright, our victims are Natalie Jenkins and Kyle Swaslie." Beckett wrote their names on the murder board as she spoke, big bold letters. Espo, Ryan and Castle listened with rapt attention. "31 and 36. She's a native New Yorker, worked at the Vitamin Shoppe on 8th, and had recently gone back to school to become a pharmacist. Swaslie had no discernible job that we've found yet. We've sent pictures of his numerous tattoos to the gang unit to see if he's with anyone. According to Natalie's roommate Jill, he was bad news. They met at the Shoppe two months ago and immediately started dating."

The detective turned to look at her team.

"Espo, I want you on phone and financials. Ryan…"

"Let me guess... Any and all possible surveillance in and around the area?"

She grinned.

"And me?" Castle piped up.

"We are going to Natalie's apartment. Jill said she was there and acting weird last night before going out to meet Kyle. Let's see if we can find out why!"

The couple gathered their coats as Kate gave a final instruction.

"Let me know if you find anything, and tell Lanie to call me when she gets the results of the blood and tox screens."

"As you wish," Espo nodded, already focused on his computer. Ryan waved a hand in lieu of speaking, already on the phone. Kate's lips quirked upward. Her team... What would she do without them.

"My lady?"

She turned around to look at her fiancé, who held one arm up for her to loop hers into while the other was flung out, gesturing them on their way. Her smile grew and she breezed past him, ignoring the arm he'd offered as he knew she would. Once they left the precinct, however, he had big plans for some hand holding. Oh yeah. Crazy case, and a hot, badass detective fiancé. Life was good.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

Can't believe all the favourite and followings :O Thank you!

Written reviews make chapters appear faster… ;)


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously On…_

"_My lady?" _

_She turned around to look at her fiancé, who held one arm up for her to loop hers into while the other was flung out, gesturing them on their way. Her smile grew and she breezed past him, ignoring the arm he'd offered as he knew she would. Once they left the precinct, however, he had big plans for some hand holding. Oh yeah. Crazy case, and a hot, badass detective fiancé. Life was good._

* * *

The search of Natalie's apartment was not so good. There was absolutely nothing that wouldn't be found in any average New Yorker's apartment. It was small, somewhat cluttered but hygienically sound, somewhat decently decorated and full of everyday essentials co-mingling with little items that held some kind of significance to its renter. Nothing malicious or suspicious.

Beckett sighed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She hated when apartments were normal. Why could she never get a case where the first home she visits has a big bottle on the table labelled "Poison"? Even better, a table with poison at which a person sat proclaiming "I'm the murderer!" Then she could go home with her soon-to-be-husband, put her feet up, accept a glass of wine and…

But no. It was never like that and it never would be.

"Looks like we're going to have to find Kyle's place after all," she said to Castle who grudgingly nodded. He'd been at least hoping for some evidence of their mad sexcapades. Not a kinky toy in sight! The case had started with a bang (ahem) but was so far not following through.

* * *

"What have you got for me?" Beckett called as they walked towards her desk. She'd gotten no phone calls or texts so knew that nothing major had come through but she hoped her team had found something.

Her colleagues approached her desk with folders in hand. Ryan took the lead.

"I managed to find only a piece of their journey," he admitted right off the bat. "Tracked them for about 20 minutes leading up to the park. No clothes or personal effects in sight, no idea where they originated but Tyler Perkins was right, they came from the North West."

"Okay, we'll review the footage in a minute. Espo?"

"Natalie Jenkins, only child, dad died in a car accident when she was 25. Her mom didn't handle it very well, turned to drinking, got into a bunch of bad relationships… Natalie tried to help her but officially cut ties with her two years ago. She doesn't exactly make bank at the Vitamin Shoppe but she gets by. Financials all totally clear, no priors, no history of any substance abuse. Kyle Swaslie, however… born to a dead beat dad and bipolar mom, one of six kids. While he was growing up the whole family shared an apartment with another family of four. Him and his brothers were like their own little gang; they were definitely not nice kids. No major offenses though, just things like minor theft, some brawls, torching kids schoolbooks. Kyle dropped out of school at 16, starting working at a garage. Parents were furious and kicked him out. He took two brothers with him when he left home, got their own place with some other buddies. After a few years they graduated to things like assault and battery, grand theft auto. He's never been convicted for murder, but he's definitely made some enemies along the way. Financials are definitely seedy, we'll have to dig deeper. It seems to me though that he's been involved with something big lately. Organized crime kinda stuff. He recently had $25,000 deposited directly into his account."

"Well regardless of relationship, have we gotten in touch with any next of kin?"

"Natalie's mom should be here any minute. Kyle's parents are both gone now but we have a brother…" Espo flipped to another page in his folder, "Pete, coming in."

"Alright. Ryan, let's look over that footage in the meantime. Espo keep looking into Kyle's possible gang affiliations."

With sharp nods her team dispersed, Beckett and Castle following Ryan into the tech room where a large screen TV was set up and waiting.

"I've got Tori working on it down in the main tech room," Ryan shared, "But this is what I've got so far."

He pushed play.

The lighting was dim but Natalie and Kyle were easily recognizable running along the middle of a car lane, holding hands and laughing, naked, oblivious to a car honking from behind them. Glancing at the street signs as they rounded a corner, Beckett saw they were at 12th and Kingsway. Definitely North West of the park. They all watched in silence as the footage cut to a different angle further down the street they'd just turned onto. Ryan hit fast forward and they all watched the couple skip and run and jump through different street and store cameras on their way to the park, where the footage ended.

"I didn't see any suspicious persons along their path, no one following them on foot or by vehicle."

"Alright. We need to trace further back. Keep working with the tech team. Find out where they started."

"On it."

The detective worried her lip between her teeth. So Kyle probably had gang affiliations. How could that in any way be connected to him and his girlfriend losing their minds and frolicking their way to death? Castle's hand on the small of her back gently led her to the break room without her even realizing. He nudged her towards one of the bistro tables and she willingly sat down while he quickly prepared them some coffees. She'd just taken her first sip when she heard the elevator doors open, a haggard looking woman in her early sixties stepping out.

"I think we've got Natalie's mom," she announced, Castle quickly looking towards the elevator and nodding. "Alright, let's do this."

She always hated this part.

* * *

"Can I get you anything?" Beckett asked as soon as Mrs. Jenkins was sitting rigidly on the couch.

"Let's just get this over with," the woman replied shortly.

"First off I am so sorry for your loss…"

"I lost my daughter years ago."

"Be that as it may, we still need to ask you a few questions. When, exactly, was the last time you spoke to your daughter?"

"Four years ago."

"Are you aware of what she's been up to in those four years? Did you ever check in on her?"

"No."

"Did you know where she worked?"

"No."

"Did you know where she lived?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard of Kyle Swaslie?"

"No."

Beckett clenched her fists at her sides.

"What happened the last time you spoke to her?"

The woman's pinched brown eyes glared at the detective.

"She called me a trainwreck. I called her an ungrateful, heartless bitch. We continued on like that for a while. She walked out the door and slammed it closed. The end. At the time she was jobless, single, and had nowhere to go. As far as I know she could have worked the streets from that day on to make her way. Didn't even know if she was still in New York. I'm not surprised something like this happened though. This Kyle person a boyfriend, I assume?"

Beckett nodded.

"She used to be such a good girl, used to go for such nice boys," the mother looked down, her eyes softening just a touch. "At least she did until her father Dave…"

When she didn't continue, couldn't, Beckett reached out at touched her clasped hands. "I understand. Thank you very much for coming to talk to us. I'm going to give you my card in case you think of anything else."

They all rose to their feet.

"And just to let you know, Mrs. Jenkins… your daughter remained a good woman. No record, steady job. Her choice of men aside… you raised a good girl. She actually had a picture of you, at her home. I thought you should know. I'm sorry for what your family went through and believe me, I understand how hard it can be."

The older woman squinted at the detective, searching. Then she found what she was looking for and offered her a small, sad smile.

"Thank you, Detective," she said softly. "I hope you find who did this."

Beckett nodded gravely. "We will. You'll be the first to know."

They shook hands and LT arrived at the doorway to lead the woman back to the elevator. Castle blew out a breath as she disappeared behind the sliding doors. "I can't imagine something so bad happening that I would completely cut ties with Alexis… I think I would just cling to her even more. Natalie was all she had left…"

Kate ducked her head. "Yeah, well. Death of a family member can change people. You can never know how you'll react until it actually happens."

The writer turned soft eyes on her. "I know… I'm sorry, Kate, I just… I hope nothing ever comes between my daughter and I like that. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Kate nodded.

"Or you."

She kept her head down while he crowded into her, his arms totally encompassing her for a moment of warm, solid love. Then they separated, detective and partner once more.

"Back to work!" Castle bounced off towards her desk. She gladly followed.

* * *

By the end of the first day they'd made no further progress. Kyle's brother Pete never showed up. The tattoo registry had a backlog of requests and hadn't gotten back to them. They hadn't located the course of Kyle's $25,000 deposit and had only tracked surveillance footage back another eight minutes. With a last frown, Beckett decided to call it a night.

"We're not going to get anything more done tonight. Let's get some rest and be ready to tear this thing apart in the morning."

The boys gladly grabbed their coats and hightailed it. Castle appeared at her back, holding up her own, deep blue trench.

"There's something else I wouldn't mind tearing apart right now," he whispered cheekily into her ear. The warmth of his breath trickled down her neck and she shivered.

"Castle…" she warned.

"I'm just saying," he continued quietly as they moved to the elevator. "We've been watching videos of a very happy naked couple flitting about like faeries at a festival. Can I help it if I want to have a bit of fun too?"

"Your libido is inspired by our dead victims, huh?"

"Ew, Beckett… don't say it like that!"

She laughed and patted his cheek consolingly. "I get what you mean, Castle."

The elevator doors closed and she leaned in close.

"So when we get home… yes, I'll let you take me to fairyland."

* * *

_The next day_

They hadn't been at the precinct more than five minutes before Lanie called and told them to get to the morgue asap.

"Boy do we have something here!" the M.E. whistled upon their arrival. "I don't know what your vics were into but we've never seen anything like this before."

"Like what?"

"They were definitely exposed to something. It's like a freaky Picasso collage of speed, ecstasy, Viagra, cyanide…!"

"Woah, that's certainly a combo…"

"It's like someone was trying to create the ultimate sexual aide but overdid it. Made the body ramp up and up until their systems were just overwhelmed and they stopped. Their stomachs were nearly empty, neither had eaten or drank anything in about 15 hours so I'm guessing they were exposed about that long before their death."

"So they were completely oblivious to all bodily needs and functions except the urge to have sex?"

"I'd say so."

"You said Viagra… that explains Kyle, but what about Natalie?"

"Well, I hadn't gotten to the part about bremelanotide and flibanserin!"

"Bless you," said Castle. Beckett waited patiently for an explanation.

"There's no sexual aides that work like Viagra for women, but those are two drugs that have been found in certain cases to increase arousal and lower inhibitions. Bremelanotide was shelved a few years ago because of the side effect of increased blood pressure for short periods of time."

"Love Potion!" Castle suddenly shouted. Beckett gave him a look. "No, seriously," he persisted. "Maybe someone was trying to make the ultimate love potion. Something so strong that sex is all you can think about, no matter who it's with. It could overwhelm anyone's predispositions regarding race, gender, body type… I know a lot of people who would love something like that."

"But to the point that it kills you?" Lanie asked.

"Maybe that wasn't supposed to happen. Maybe they're still refining it. Or maybe it IS meant to kill people! Instead of tracking down your enemies and shooting or stabbing them, you just slip 'em a little something something and leave them be. They find a partner, start going at it… forget to eat, drink, sleep… even if there wasn't a poison element someone could conceivably fornicate themselves to death, right?"

Beckett looked at the doctor.

"I suppose…" Lanie began slowly. "Vigorous sex does put a strain on a lot of your system. If you didn't have a heart attack or something first, the lack of water and sleep during those levels of activity combined with cyanide, which further and rapidly depletes energy by disrupting the production of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, coupled with the blood pressure fluctuations of the Brem… you could certainly die. Depending on various factors, death could occur in just a few hours, or last a few days."

Castle bit down on a fist in excitement. "A multi-day marathon of ultimate, yet deadly, pleasure. How amazing is this, Beckett!?"

She rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "They were only dosed 15 hours before their death. Not days."

His enthusiasm didn't dampen. "Marathon. Ultimate. Deadly."

"You just had to confirm his theory, didn't you?" she turned her glare on the doctor.

Lanie merely shrugged. "You ask, I answer. All for the greater good, right?"

The detective made a face at the still bouncing writer. "In the end. We hope."

"I'll let you know when if I can nail down a more specific time of their initial exposure."

"Exposure," Castle giggled. "Nail. They sure did that…"

"Aaaand we're leaving now." Beckett grabbed his arm and dragged him out, leaving their friend to her work.

* * *

They arrived back at the precinct to more good news.

"We got word from the tattoo guys," Esposito reported. "Most were just thug garbage, but they identified one, a small swastika circled by a snake. It's the symbol of a white supremacist group called The Children of Chaos. I've only done a brief search so far but while extreme, they don't seem organized or large scale enough to have pulled off creating a drug like you just described."

"Well keep looking. Try to find someone with a concrete connection to Kyle. We haven't talked to nearly enough live people yet."

"Got it."

Castle sat down in his chair, finally calming down from the morgue trip, focusing in on the case that was finally leading somewhere.

"What can I do?"

Beckett held up her empty hand, curving it as if she were holding a cup and gave him a coy smile.

"Hint hint?" Castle filled in, amused. "As my lady commands."

A few minutes later he returned with two mugs.

"It's supposed to be a clock," Castle explained as she frowned at the foamy blob in the centre of her mug, decorated with lines and dots. "Cause, you know… marathons…"

"How… clever?" she supplied, entirely unsure how she was supposed to react.

"Well, and also because I've been looking at clocks a lot more lately. Every hour we pass is an hour closer to our wedding."

Oh. Damn him.

She hid her blushing face in her mug and got back to work.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

_Reviews make fingers tap tap tap those keys ;) _


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously on…_

_Beckett held up her empty hand, curving it as if she were holding a cup and gave him a coy smile. _

"_Hint hint?" Castle filled in, amused. "As my lady commands." _

_A few minutes later he returned with two mugs. _

"_It's supposed to be a clock," Castle explained as she frowned at the foamy blob in the centre of her mug, decorated with lines and dots. "Cause, you know… marathons…"_

"_How… clever?" she supplied, entirely unsure how she was supposed to react._

"_Well, and also because I've been looking at clocks a lot more lately. Every hour we pass is an hour closer to our wedding."_

_Oh. Damn him. _

_She hid her blushing face in her mug and got back to work._

* * *

Several hours passed before Ryan approached Beckett's desk.

"Seems the Children are a bit smarter than we initially thought. While they themselves are a pretty small group, they latch onto other, bigger gangs and ride their success. If things start to go sour they terminate their arrangement and move on to another. They've managed to avoid persecution for a number of crimes that the head groups went down for."

"Pretty smart, really," Beckett nodded. "Leech off richer gangs but keep one foot out the door to cut and run whenever they need. So who are they with right now?"

"The gang unit thinks they're currently in business with Os Arbitros, or "The Enforcers," a Brazillian group commonly associated with exotic and unusual drugs."

"Well that certainly fits the bill," commented Castle. "Even the name. The Enforcers? Guys who use drugs to ramp up so they can, y'know, enforce? It all works."

"It does indeed," agreed Beckett. "Please tell me you have some names."

"I've got people bringing in Larry Richter of The Children of Chaos now. Hoping he'll give us an idea of where to start with Os Arbitros."

Beckett nodded and called out to her other teammate. "Hey Espo. Have we found Kyle's brother, Pete, yet?"

The Latino regretfully shook his head.

She frowned but plied onwards. "Then let's get ready for Mr. Richter. Seeing as you boys have put in the research, you want to take this one?"

They looked at each other and gave an air fist-bump.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

"So, Larry," Espo smiled as he entered the interrogation room. "You think white folks should rule the world, huh?"

The man was average height, had sandy blonde hair, brown eyes, and an average build. He turned his rather indistinct features on the detective with disdain but didn't say a word.

"Lucky for you, we're not actually interested in that part," Ryan sat down in the chair across from him while Espo moved to stand at the side of the table, crossing his arms. "Tell us about Kyle Swaslie, Larry."

"What about the little dirtbag?" he shrugged.

"Come on now, that's no way to talk about the deceased. You got no respect for anyone?"

The man's eyelids fluttered rapidly shut several times. "Deceased?"

"Oh, you hadn't heard?" said Espo. "Afraid your boy had a party that went a little too far."

Richter frowned, his eyes turning inward. The detectives could practically hear the wheels whirring in his mind.

"You ever meet his girl, Larry?"

"He never shut up about her," he groused.

"But did you ever meet her?"

"Just once. She dropped him off at a bar, once. Loser couldn't even drive himself."

"Pretty girl, huh?"

Richter shrugged.

"So if Kyle was so sweet on her, and she was so pretty… why do you think he needed to take… supplements, to help him have a good time with her?"

Larry frowned again and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Little light bulb just go off in your head?" Ryan pushed. "Maybe you've heard of a new drug on the scene? Little aide to help us poor average Joes out?"

Larry's pale face turned a little red. "Son of a bitch," he breathed.

"What was that?"

"I said son of a bitch! I knew he would do something stupid like this… I knew it!"

"What did he do?"

"Little ass-kisser volunteered. Stupid ass knew it was dangerous! I can't believe he gave it to Natalie!"

"Gave what, Larry," Ryan leaned in.

"Nectar," he spat.

Ryan clicked his pen and poised it above his notepad. "Nectar?"

Richter suddenly clamped his mouth shut, eyes flicking between the two detectives.

"If I say anything, I want protection."

"Have to tell us who we're protecting you from first."

"Look, I don't actually _really_ know anything about it. Just what I've heard, y'know. From other guys."

The partners shared a look. Right. It never ceased to amaze how people tried to cover their own backsides.

"There are some people that my boss has dealings with. Not me. And not Kyle, that I ever knew of. But the boss and some others. They like to play around with, y'know, substances. I hear they got a new thing going right now, real big. Revolutionary. They call it Nectar."

"And what's it supposed to do?" asked Espo while his partner rapidly wrote.

"Make all your troubles disappear." The look of want, the wonder, on Larry's face belied the statement that he had just heard passing rumours.

"Come on, Richter," Espo leaned closer to him. "We all know you know more than that."

"No, man. That's it. A sweet ass new thing that will guarantee the time of your life."

"Who's making it?"

Richter looked at his hands.

"Who, Larry!"

He looked at Ryan. "Os Arbitros."

* * *

The men emerged from the small room a while later, Larry leaving in the elevator with a bowed head.

"We were right. Os Arbitros are our guys."

"Larry barely put up a fight. I think he's afraid of the guys. Certainly no respect for loyalty in that one."

"He give us any names?" asked Beckett. "Locations of processing plants? Suppliers of ingredients?"

"We've got two names and the location of a possible hang out spot."

She grimaced but stood up to don her coat. "Better than nothing. Where are we going?"

* * *

There was no way Nectar or any other kind of drug was being manufactured at the location Richter had provided. It definitely was, however, a hang out. The two men lounging on the ratty, worn couch leaped into the air when Beckett flew in through the unlocked door. She quickly handed the two off to the officers she'd had waiting outside, just in case. The search she and Castle then executed yielded much better results than Natalie's apartment. Nazi paraphernalia littered the dingy room in the back of a used electronics store. There were no tools of the drug trade but there was evidence of extensive drug use. Guns and knives lay haphazardly about. Beckett was pretty sure she'd clocked five separate blood stains on just her initial pass.

"We've got to get evidence teams in here, see if there's any trace of Nectar."

"And while they're doing that I know where we'll be…" Castle said pointing to a piece of paper on a cracked end table. A piece of paper listing several names and addresses, including that of one Kyle Swaslie.

"Boss must be into something big and distracting if he's letting his guys run this slack," the writer noted. "This kind of information just lying around? The Gods are smiling on us!"

"Let's hope."

* * *

Esposito and Ryan took point on interrogation again, pushing the two Children of Chaos into giving up yet more names and places. They headed off to another gang house while Beckett and Castle made their way to Kyle's.

"What do you think we'll find?" Castle wondered aloud.

"Probably not what you're hoping," Beckett said wryly as her eyes scanned the traffic around them.

"And what, pray tell, am I hoping we'll find?"

"A giant vat of bubbling pink potion and a crazy orgy?"

She heard him gasp. "You know me so well!"

They made good time getting to the rundown neighbourhood but lost some of their edge on the climb up nine flights of stairs.

"Seriously? If the elevator in my building had been broken for two weeks I would have just stopped waiting and moved out!"

"You'd want to move all your stuff down nine flights?"

"Well I wouldn't, of course. That's what movers are for!"

She shook her head and kept climbing. "Thought I'd built up your stamina by now, Castle. This isn't that bad a workout."

"Well some workouts are more enjoyable than others."

She threw him a look over her shoulder. "Indeed."

Kyle's apartment was not on the hygienically sound side of things as his girlfriend's had been. Racist decoration and drug tools were scattered as they had been at the hang out. Stained old laundry was strewn everywhere and dirty dishes littered almost every available surface. The air had a hazy, stale quality about it.

"I hope he never brought Natalie here," Castle made a face.

"I'm with you on that," Beckett nodded, leaning over a plate that had something fuzzy growing on it. "I'm not sure how often he himself had been here recently."

"Think he might have had other things going on? Dealings with The Boss Man that were so important he basically abandoned his place?"

"I just hope he left some clue about those dealings behind."

Their search turned up illegal weapons and drugs but nothing directly related to Nectar or Os Arbitros. Castle huffed the entire way down the stairs. "Another bust! I don't know if these Chaos guys are really that smart after all. They seem to be just another bunch of lowlifes doing bad things."

"Have hope, Castle. Larry specifically named Os Arbitros."

"He could have just been fishing! Or maybe there had been talk of a deal but Boss man was turned down. Maybe Kyle screwed it up somehow and it was the boss who took him out!"

"See? We're still getting somewhere!"

She turned around as she hit the ground floor, smiling as he leapt with both feet from the last step to hit the ground. She opened her mouth to comment but the words dried up in her mouth as she watched his face go white.

Then she heard the cocking of a gun.

She turned around slowly, hands up, to find four very large Brazillians with guns raised.

Maybe Os Arbitros was involved after all.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

Just a lil chapter to tide us all over on this Castle'less Monday :'( Whaddya think?


	5. Chapter 5

_Previously on…_

_Beckett turned around as she hit the ground floor, smiling as Castle leapt with both feet from the last step to hit the ground. She opened her mouth to comment but the words dried up in her mouth as she watched his face go white. _

_Then she heard the cocking of a gun._

_She turned around slowly, hands up, to find four very large Brazillians with guns raised. _

_Maybe Os Arbitros was involved after all._

* * *

They were swiftly stripped of their phones, wallets, badge and guns, and patted down by meaty, gloved hands just in case there was more. Beckett could hear Castle's teeth grinding as a hulking man covered in tattoos ran his hands over her. She shot her fiancé a look and hoped it would be enough to keep him quiet. It was. The couple was then unceremoniously shoved into the building's lobby and out the front door. Someone walking by on the street took one look at the enforcers and ran straight down the street and around the corner.

Kidnapping in broad daylight. Real nice neighbourhood.

They were shoved into the back of a large, unmarked van. The inside had been stripped of normal seating, two benches were installed against the walls instead. Three men took residence on them while Beckett and Castle were left on the ground in between, trying to stay balanced when the car suddenly took off.

"You're making a big mistake," Beckett warned them. A grunt was her only response.

She looked around the van, assessing. She and her partner were unbound, but had no weapons, were disadvantaged in both number and size and were in a speeding car. Not an ideal situation for a break out. They would have to wait until they got wherever they were going, try to take out their guards as they were unloading. She looked Castle in the eyes and tried to silently convey her plan to wait. His eyes narrowed but he understood. They were good like that. No words needed.

He did, however, sneak a hand out to touch her side.

They would get through this.

* * *

The drive was worryingly long. They were either heading towards a far reaching industrial area or were already in another city. Their captors continued to look brutish and bored. Castle was starting to shift uncomfortably next to her. It had been tough trying to not be tossed about in the speeding van. It was definitely not a smooth ride and they would both have bruises to prove it. She'd tried asking a few questions but was met with stony silence. She was about to try again when the car started to slow and finally came to a stop. She flicked her eyes to Castle and he gave a tiny nod.

This was it.

One of the men moved to open the door and Beckett tensed to kick him from behind, send him flying straight out but before she could even pull her leg in for a better wind up, the cold metal of a gun pressed hard to her head.

"Don't even think about it."

Damn it.

She forced her body to relax and the gun let up but didn't leave.

"If you try anything your puppy goes first."

She chanced a look at Castle and saw his indignant scowl, but also his fear. Not but himself but for her. Alright then. Patience would have to be her ally.

They were herded out of the van onto a gravel road. A rapid sweep of the area revealed a secluded, forested area with a lone, large cabin. A single, unfinished road led up to it. It was about as cliché as you could get. Unfortunately it was still highly effective. Beckett had no idea how long she and Castle would have to run for if they escaped, or in what direction. If they could hijack the van…

The butt of a gun jabbed her in the back and she grimaced and started walking towards the building. Castle swung his arms as he walked, glancing his fingers over the backs of hers as they went. The door to the cabin flew open moments before they reached the steps leading up to the porch.

"Welcome, friends," smiled a well-dressed Brazilian man in his mid-fifties. "So glad you could join us."

"Yes, the invitation was too good to resist," snarked Castle.

The man laughed and turned sideways, sweeping his arm into the house, beckoning. "Do please come inside."

He entered the house as the guards took up their prodding once more. Beckett went in first and Castle couldn't help but notice the long, slow perusal the older man gave her; from her heeled boots right up to her hair. Castle's hands itched to lash out but he clenched them, hard, instead, and tried to even his breathing. He distracted himself by looking around the cabin. Despite its shabby outside the inside was rich and modern. They stood in a simplistic great room, a sitting area with lush couches and a fireplace off to their right, a long, wooden dining table and chairs to their left. He presumed the hallway at the far end of the room led to a kitchen.

"Might I fetch you a drink?" the man asked. "A minute to freshen up after your journey?"

"How about some answers," Beckett said sharply. "Like who the hell you are and why you abducted us."

He laughed again. "Oh Detective… you are not disappointing me."

She raised an eyebrow. He gestured towards the couch. "Please."

She stiffly obeyed, Castle following and sitting as close to her as he could without giving them away. Never show potentially exploitable weaknesses like romantic connections. The way the man's eyes glanced between them told Castle he already knew. Crap. Their kidnapper settled himself into an armchair across the coffee table, stretching his feet out on the thick imported carpet.

"Let me start off by apologizing for my men. They get… enthusiastic, sometimes."

The couple stayed silent.

"I have no intention of hurting you. I just wanted to have a little chat."

"Could have just asked us to coffee," suggested Castle.

The man laughed and gave Castle a perusal of his own. "Oh, Mr. Castle. If only it could be that simple."

"Why isn't it?"

"You and your colleagues have been poking around in my business."

"Your business being?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that."

"Well when a _little of this_ leads to the death of two people it's my job to poke," Beckett cut in. "And you still haven't told us who you are."

He turned his bright eyes towards her and smiled. "You may call me Mr. Cardoso. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, well, the pleasure is all yours."

"Don't be so sure," his grin turned dark, smug, and she frowned. "Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I did not kill Mr. Swaslie and his friend."

"Really," she deadpanned.

"From what I've heard they rather brought it upon themselves in the most natural of ways."

"Because of the influence of some very unnatural substances."

"If you want substances, perhaps it would be wise to look further into Mr. Swaslie's rambunctious friends."

"Those rambunctious friends seem to think you and your… group, have quite a history with substances. Rather unique substances."

"Well Ms. Beckett… I'd like to see you prove it."

She smirked and leaned forward, leaning her elbows on her knees. "Don't worry. I will."

She locked eyes with the mobster and for several tense moments they stared each other down. Finally Cardoso blinked and relaxed in his chair, the usual smile back on his face.

"I would suggest you proceed with caution, Detective."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all. I just think this case might turn into something more than you expect. Perhaps more than you can handle, though I sincerely hope not."

"Your concern is touching. Can we go now?"

Cardoso stood and clapped his hands together. "It was so very nice to meet you both. I wish you all the best with your upcoming wedding. Such a lovely couple. Truly." He gave them both a once over this time. Yeah, the guy was creepy.

They were led out of the cabin, the presence of his eyes on them making their skin crawl. On the trip back they were allowed to sit on the benches though guns still held them at bay. They were dropped off at Kyle's building, right where they'd been taken. One of the men threw a bag at them as the van sped off and moments later disappeared.

"Well that was… interesting," Castle offered as Beckett leaned down to grab the bag.

"Certainly was," she agreed as she pulled out all their missing gear. She clipped on her badge and tucked her gun into the back of her pants, suddenly standing taller, straighter. She checked her phone and winced at the number of missed calls and text messages. According to the clock they'd been gone for over three hours.

"Better get back to the Precinct."

They were both amazed that her car was still parked around the corner, unharmed, but were happy for small mercies.

* * *

"Hold on a sec," Jaime interrupted her parent's tale. "That guy was seriously gross. This isn't leading to some freaky "He put bugs in the phones and cameras in our apartment cause he wanted to watch us…"

"Woah!" Castle cried. "No! What? Why would you… how did you even come up with…"

"No, honey," Kate patted her husband's knee to calm him. "If it was that kind of story… we would not be telling you."

"Okay," Jaime sighed, settling back into the couch while several others made faces expressing their disgust at the idea.

"Can we get back to the story?" Ben asked in a now wary tone.

"Right."

* * *

"Seriously? Abducted by a Brazilian drug mob?"

"Seriously."

"And they just wanted to talk?"

"Yup."

"Any hot models around?"

"Espo…"

He shrugged and grinned while Beckett rolled her eyes.

"The whole thing was rather bizarre but we have a name, a general location and definite confirmation that Os Arbitros is involved. What did you guys get out of the two Children we sent over?"

"They rolled over real quick, gave us several names and a few more hideouts. We raided two but haven't found anything to do with Nectar. In fact they seemed to know nothing about it except that it exists. Got the same look of rapture that Richter got when he talked about it."

"Damn," Beckett muttered. "It seems they might be right; the only person with actual knowledge about it is their boss. We have to find him."

He nodded and hurried to his desk.

Beckett sighed and rubbed her forehead. She felt a headache forming. Two days, multiple searches and suspects questioned, an abduction, and still no real information.

"Beckett!"

She glanced up to see her Captain poised in her office doorway.

"Sir," Beckett nodded her head and walked over to the office, stepping inside.

"Kidnapped?" Gates asked bluntly, sitting heavily in her chair.

Beckett sighed and prepared herself to go through it all again.

* * *

By the end of the day Beckett was exhausted and uncomfortable. For some reason the memory of Cardoso's eyes on her continued to bother her. She felt itchy, warm, couldn't stop shifting in her chair and rolling her shoulders. She'd noticed Castle frowning and scratching his neck as well.

"Let's head home," she offered. "We're getting nowhere."

Her fiancé nodded mutely and grabbed their coats. Neither put them on.

* * *

Their night was as long and frustrating as the day had been. They were hot, their eyes itchy and dry, their minds exhausted while their bodies were jumpy, unable to still. They gave up trying to sleep at about three in the morning, bringing out an old crossword to try to focus and calm their minds. It didn't work. They tried scrabble but the letters refused to form into words. They finally turned their frustrations on each other, clumsily tearing clothes and stumbling back to their room for a burst of lovemaking that just made them more tired, still unable to rest. (Though they didn't include that bit in their story to the kids)

They took separate showers in the morning. Sex would just muddle their minds further and they needed to keep whatever brain function they had left.

Apparently make-up, coffee and clean pressed clothes weren't enough to fool their teammates.

"Hey," called Ryan. Beckett jumped and whirled her head to face him with wide eyes.

"Woah," he put his hands up and backed up a step. "Jumpy much? You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she nodded. "Just… a long night."

"Well I'm afraid I don't have anything to cheer you up."

She groaned and washed her hands over her face. "Just tell me."

* * *

Two more bodies.

Wonderful.

Beckett yawned as she pushed open the morgue doors.

"Whew, would you look at you two," Lanie whistled. "Rough night?"

Castle grunted in response.

"Bodies?" Beckett asked.

"Yup. And you're gonna love this… they died _before_ Kyle and Natalie."

"What?"

"Mmhmm." She led them to two tables. One held a beautiful Brazilian woman in her late twenties, the other a handsome Brazilian man, probably in his early thirties. "Both have the same components of the drug that killed Kyle and Natalie, but in differing proportions. I think they were exposed only an hour or two before their death, and died three days before Kyle and Natalie."

"So it couldn't have been prolonged sexathons that killed them, it was the drug."

Castle looked at Beckett with bleary, wide eyes. "You just said sexathon! That's something I would say. "

She looked back at him and heat suddenly flared just below her stomach. A light sparked in his eyes. Her lips parted and her tongue slipped forward to wet her suddenly dry lips. He blinked slowly as his body canted towards her.

Lanie coughed. Their heads whipped to face her. She let out a low breath. "Somebody needs to get their freak on."

Another wave of heat washed over Beckett. "Can we get back to the case please?" She said quickly.

The M.E succinctly informed them about the details of this latest development. They were found in the man, Maylon's, apartment. Apparently he was usually very active, constantly in and out of his home so when neighbors noted he hadn't come or gone in days, they called the police. He and his wife Abella were found naked in their bed, mid-act.

"There was a significantly higher dose of cyanide in their systems, thus the swifter death."

"Any evidence that can lead to a suspect? About where the drug came from?"

"Afraid not."

Beckett let out a long sigh. "Great."

She turned towards the door and trudged out, Castle following closely behind. "Call if you find anything," the detective threw over her shoulder as they left.

"Someone just give us a break," Beckett groused as they waited for an elevator. She then frowned, and scratched at her neck.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

So... Over 1000 people have read this story so far. I've got maaaybe 20 reviews for first few chapters. But for the last one... 7? Feedback is the gift that helps writers keep writing and, hopefully, improving!

Everyone have a happy Special Castle Monday tomorrow ;)


	6. Chapter 6

_Previously on…_

"_Any evidence that can lead to a suspect? About where the drug came from?"_

"_Afraid not."_

_Beckett let out a long sigh. "Great." _

_She turned towards the door and trudged out, Castle following closely behind. "Call if you find anything," the detective threw over her shoulder as they left. _

"_Someone just give us a break," Beckett groused as they waited for an elevator. She then frowned, and scratched at her neck._

* * *

Somewhere around her third cup of coffee Beckett realized she wasn't tired anymore. Wasn't hungry, wasn't thirsty. Instead of drooping her eyes were wide and her body wasn't sluggish, it was reactive, blood pumping fast and strong. Her hearing was sharp, her sense of smell was heightened, every slight flow of air caused her skin to pebble. She found she had to work to keep her breathing even, wanting instead to suck in fast, shallow gulps. Every time someone passed by her the heat of their body would cause her to flush. How had she never noticed how attractive everyone at her precinct was? And when she saw Castle… She wondered if he was feeling the same because he seemed to be avoiding her. She would catch him sending her furtive glances then quickly ducking around corners. He brought her coffee once and almost dropped the mug when her fingers glanced against his as she accepted it. He'd undone an extra button on his shirt and still pulled at his collar. Every time he did she couldn't help but stare at the smooth, tan skin that was exposed, wanted nothing more than to reach out and…

She coughed and turned abruptly to her computer, commanding her body to calm down and focus.

It was useless.

She was just getting hotter, antsier. Her clothes felt too tight, squeezing the breath from her and she just wanted them off. She wanted Castle to take them off. Then push her down on her desk and…

No! Bad girl! Bad thoughts!

Castle loved it when she was bad girl...

NO! Damn it!

She stood up so fast her chair flew back and hit the desk behind hers. Several heads rose from their work to see what had happened. Her face reddened and she rushed to the break room, closing the door and leaning back against it. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. Breathe. Don't pant. Castle liked to make her pant. He was so good at it. He would…

She let out a strangled groan and marched towards the sink. She turned it on to cold and wished she'd gone to the women's washroom instead, ever aware of the glass walls. Then suddenly she went still.

She could smell him.

She turned around slowly and there he was, standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.

"You seemed… at your desk… and then you came here…" he tried to explain but his voice trailed off to nothing as he stared at her.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I… um…"

She couldn't remember why she'd come into the break room. She forgot she was even in the break room. All she knew was him, so close and yet way too far away.

"Castle," she whispered. She could see his pupils dilate, the blue surrounding them fade to black.

"Kate," his voice barely above a growl.

And then he was moving towards her. She didn't even see his legs move, just knew he was coming closer, finally closer and oh God she needed to touch him, feel him, _right now_. Her arms reached out to him and he raised a hand. Their fingertips touched and…

Ryan slammed the door open and ran into the room.

"We got him!"

The couple jumped apart as if they'd been shot, breathing hard.

"Holy crap Ryan!" yelled Castle. "Ever heard of knocking?"

Ryan frowned between them, noting their hunched shoulders, heavy breathing, twitching eyes.

"You guys okay?"

"Fine," Beckett rasped. "Just fine, why wouldn't we be? Of course we are! You have something for us?"

The detective's frown deepened at her rapid speech. "Yeah. We found the Boss man. Of the Children. He's being brought in now."

"Good," Beckett nodded several times.

"And we've found a direct connection to Os Arbitros. He received a hefty deposit to his bank recently, half a mil a few weeks ago and another half four days ago. We traced the depositor; it's a known member of Arbitros. We've also got several outgoing transactions to foreign shipping companies. We think the Children were helping Arbitros bring in materials."

When had all this happened? Why didn't she know this yet? She glanced at her watch. Holy crap it was already four in the afternoon? Where had the day gone? Had she accomplished anything?

She shook her head to clear her rambling thoughts. "Good. Let me know when he arrives. I'll take him."

"Are you sure? Me and Javi could…"

"Are you questioning my ability to interrogate our suspect?"

"No…" he said carefully.

"Good. Let me know when he's in." She turned on her heel and exited through the opposite door, fleeing to the bathroom.

"Seriously man, she okay?" Ryan turned to Castle. The writer didn't answer, stood on the spot gawping at the space Beckett had just occupied.

"Alrighty then," Ryan whispered with raised brows, heading back to his desk.

The leader of the Children of Chaos arrived 25 minutes later. He was tall and thin, mostly bald with a few wisps of white hair and hard blue eyes. Beckett could smell him as he walked by and it made her stomach curl. She took a moment to settle herself before entering interrogation. Her suspect was calm, cuffed hands clasped casually on the table in front of him.

"Mr. Steveson, is it?" She let the thick file folder in her hands fall heavily on the table.

"Please, call me Thomas." His smile held no mirth or charm.

She sat down but had to shift several times to get comfortable, her loose dress slacks damp with sweat and feeling like they'd shrunk.

"What do you know about Nectar?" She jumped straight in for the kill.

"About what?"

"Don't waste my time, Thomas. We know you've received several significant deposits in the last few weeks from Os Arbitros."

"Oh?"

"We've also traced several payments, made by you, to shipping companies known for carrying components involved in the production of Nectar."

"Then you know more than me. I've no idea what you're talking about."

She blew out a breath, her patience already shot and her frustration fueling her ever heating skin. Her head throbbed and her stomach still roiled.

"You're helping Arbitros create a new drug. I don't care what your ultimate end-game is, here. I care that you've already killed four people. I promise you you will not hurt anyone else."

"Are you sure about that?" He leaned forward. "You feeling okay, Detective?"

She blinked and sat back. "Excuse me?"

"Looking a little flushed there. And your eyes are rather bloodshot. Didn't get much sleep last night?"

"I hardly think that's…"

"Maybe you should be less concerned for dead patsies and be more concerned for yourself."

She glared at him. "I'm just fine, thank you, now…"

"I'll talk," he interrupted again. "But only if your partner joins us."

She frowned. "Castle?"

Steveson nodded.

"Why?"

"Do you want information or not?"

She pursed her lips and tapped her pen briskly against the table.

"Fine," she relented and turned her face to nod at the mirror. She heard footsteps and within moments the door opened and her partner came in. Suddenly her headache was gone and her stomach settled. Had his shirt always been that blue? His pants that form fitting? Damn he looked good. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as her gaze rose to his. His answering smile stole her breath away and she rose to meet him, her hand reaching out to touch his chest. He gasped at the contact, her name flowing reverently from his lips.

"Hey," she smiled softly as if she hadn't seen him in days. His eyes crinkled and his head dipped down…

The door opened again and Espo clapped a hand on Castle's shoulder. "Uh, guys?"

Beckett jerked back, her vision blurring. Castle smelled so good but she knew he tasted better. She needed that, needed him, she…

"As I said," a nasally voice interrupted her thoughts and her head whipped back. Oh god… interrogation room. Suspect. Very bad man. Possible murderer. And she'd practically just jumped her fiancé right in front of him… What the hell was wrong with her?"

"I think I'm gonna take over," Espo said, physically pulling Castle away from her and out of the room. Beckett followed in a daze. This time it was Castle who fled to the washrooms.

* * *

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Ben intoned ominously.

"Dude, little brother! We're finally getting interesting, don't interrupt!"

"Sorry…"

The Castles continued, though with cautious censoring. Things were about to get a lot more interesting than their children needed to know. In the couple's minds, however, they relived the experience as though it were yesterday. Every detail of that time was forever burned into their psyches.

* * *

Beckett paced the observation room like she was training for a drill team. Three quick strides with a sharp turn on the heel and back again. Why the hell were these rooms so small? She wanted to run, to be outside, let the fresh air cool her down. Maybe she could step out for just a little bit and… no, what was she thinking? They were in the middle of a murder investigation! Four dead people needed justice so why the hell couldn't she concentrate?

She tried to focus back on the interrogation but realized she'd completely lost the thread of the conversation and had no idea what they were saying. She wasn't doing anyone any good by staying there. She threw the door open and was assaulted by the sounds of the bullpen. Phones ringing fingers typing people calling out. She wanted to run away, or just join in, scream at them all. Her headache returned with force and her stomach flipped. Just what she bloody needed! She looked around but couldn't find her partner. Where the hell was he? What could he possibly be doing in the bathroom that could take so long? He only stayed in bathrooms that long when she was with him and they… oh god. She knew exactly what he was doing. Oh god no, don't think about it! And _don't_ join him! She needed to cool down…

The detective stalked through the room, her glare daring anyone to comment or ask about her well-being. She slammed a few coins into the soda machine in the hallway and tapped her foot against the floor while the ice cold water bottle took its sweet time to fall. She grabbed the bottle the second it touched down, gasping at the cold, wet sensation of its surface. She twisted the cap open with shaking fingers and was just about to take a long, cool sip when something slammed into her. The bottle spilled its contents all over the front of her white blouse.

"Damn it!" she cried, jumping backwards, her senses going into overdrive at the sudden flood of cold liquid.

"I'm so sorry!" yelled a panicked voice.

Her head sprang up to see Castle holding his hands out in supplication.

"Rick," she stuttered.

His mouth fell open as he realized who he'd run into. Then his eyes settled on her chest, the drenched white blouse sticking to her skin and revealing everything underneath. She'd been on edge all day but the cold dampness made certain features stand out even more, her thin lace bra doing nothing to mask the effect of having his eyes on her.

"Kate," he choked, and she was done.

With a wild cry she launched herself into his arms.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

Now things can get fun ;)

By the way... (Spoiler alert) ... Caskett is married. CASTLE. AND. BECKETT. ARE. MARRIED.


	7. Chapter 7

_Previously on…_

_His mouth fell open as he realized who he'd run into. Then his eyes settled on her chest, the drenched white blouse sticking to her skin and revealing everything underneath. She'd been on edge all day but the cold dampness made certain features stand out even more, her thin lace bra doing nothing to mask the effect of having his eyes on her. _

"_Kate," he choked, and she was done._

* * *

With a wild cry Kate launched herself into Castle's arms, the force of her knocking him backwards and into a wall. He grunted in pain but it was swallowed by her mouth attacking his, lips and teeth and tongues clashing in a fierce battle. Yes, _yes_! This is what she wanted, craved, needed. Only him, only bliss. It was euphoria, nirvana, _everything_. This is why she'd been feeling so awful all day, she'd been denying herself _him_. Never again would she commit such a heinous act. He wrapped an arm around her back, another around her hips and held her so tight she could barely breathe, her head swimming. He squeezed even tighter and suddenly she no longer felt the ground beneath her feet. He lifted her up just enough that he could carry them across the floor and slam her back against the opposing wall. She groaned in approval and moved her mouth to his neck, licking and biting while her fingernails clawed at his back. His hips thrust forward of their own volition and she whimpered, _whimpered_, and threw her head back against the wall. He dove in and ravaged her neck as her hands flew to the buttons of his shirt.

"Holy crap you guys!" Ryan cried as he ran around the corner.

"What is wrong with you today?" Espo agreed as he stomped forward.

The couple didn't hear a word, didn't even know their friends were there. Their mouths met once more and Beckett could not get enough of Castle's tongue.

"Detective Beckett! Mr. Castle!"

The loud boom of her Captain finally penetrated the fog in her brain and Beckett went still. Castle hadn't heard and continued to plunder her mouth.

"I said Mr. Castle!" The voice was closer now, louder. Castle finally heard and instantly froze in place. He turned and looked at the Captain. Then a very slow, sexy grin lit up his face.

"Victoria," he said in what could only be described as a heavy bedroom voice, his eyes lazily trailing up and down her skirt suited form. The Captain's eyes widened and her mouth parted, utterly perplexed.

Beckett could still feel his breath in her mouth as they breathed in unison, lips still practically touching. Soft, satiny lips that could… Her eyes rolled back under closed lids as she leant forward to claim him. He immediately took up residence in her mouth once more, Gates forgotten, tongue slicking against Beckett's as his hands travelled down her back to cup her…

Suddenly he was being wrenched away from her, their lips separating with a wet pop.

"No!" Beckett cried pushing off the wall.

"Kate!" he called, trying to fight his way back to her.

She lunged after him and managed to land one brief kiss before there were hands on her arms, yanking her backwards. "No!" she cried again, breath catching in her throat, unable to breath.

Castle still struggled, she could hear his muffled shouts, he _needed_ her! With a feral growl she threw her attacker off and lunged forward once more. Then she was on her back the ground, several people on top of her, holding her down before she heard a sharp slap and pain blossomed across her face. She went still as stone. Her vision cleared and she saw a shocked looking Kevin Ryan straddling her torso, his hand still raised.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, Beckett!" he stammered. "But you were…"

She'd been wild, uncontrollable, jumping Castle in the hallway, right in front of everyone. And now Ryan was on top of her. Straddling her. Well that could be fun. Hmm, very fun. She grinned coyly up at him before her head fell to the side, searching out Castle, similarly positioned on the floor though on his stomach. And then she giggled. Castle turned to look at her and released a snort of laughter. Her mirth grew, giggles growing louder until she her entire body was shaking with laughter. Her howls were matched by Castle, tears streaming down his face. She felt so light, free, like she was floating, every colour vivid and bursting in a fantastic collage of bright life. The posters on the wall made her laugh. The hands holding her down didn't hurt, they tickled, and made her laugh. The look of complete bewilderment on Captain Gate's face had her in fits.

"No," she gasped. "Ryan, it's me that's…" but she couldn't finish her thought, laughter filling her throat and robbing her of words.

Then the hands stopped restraining her, tried to help her stand but her knees wouldn't cooperate. They felt like jelly, wibbly wobbly and she collapsed into Ryan's arms, her cheek smushing against his chest. Mmm… manly chest. Smells good. Soft shirt. She rubbed her cheek against him and sighed, gripping his arms for balance while she pulled her head back to look at him. Oh. It was Ryan. She frowned. That was wrong. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn't, shouldn't, couldn't want _him_. Not Ryan. Castle. Where was Castle? She looked around, a sea of swimming faces but she saw him.

"Castle!" she cried out happily and let go of Ryan to stumble towards her lover.

"Heeeey!" Castle crooned giddily, pushing away his own handler.

They'd just grasped each other's hands when a chorus of "Oh no you don't"! surrounded them and they were separated once more. Beckett let out a high-pitched whine while Castle tried to negotiate with the brute of an officer who'd grabbed him. Only he kept tripping over his words, body bouncing with hilarity every time he did.

A rapid conversation flew through the air around her but for the moment Beckett was content to simply stare at Castle. Sweet, sweet Castle. Her Castle. Her big, strong palace. She lived in a Castle. No no no, she lived _with_ Castle. If anything he lived "in" her. Or at least wanted to. She cackled at her own dirty thoughts, her body hot and flush and ready. Castle stared right back at her and she knew he was thinking the very same things. She grinned at him and bit her lip the way he liked, ran her tongue slowly along her lips and relished in the pained look on his face.

"Isn't that right Beckett?"

She jumped as Ryan started jostling her, shaking her shoulders to try to get her to look at him.

"Hmm?" she smiled dopily. Ryan was cute. But like a little brother. Not like Castle.

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Something is very wrong with you. We're taking you to see Lanie," he said slowly.

Beckett perked up. Lanie! Lanie was fun. Maybe they could go out and _dance_. After she had some time with Castle. Lots and _lots_ of time with Castle.

* * *

The trip to the morgue was one the boys would never forget. They took different cars, Castle and Beckett nearly causing a riot when they were separated. They were so incensed that the boys had to concede to letting them call each other on their phones so they could talk during the short ride. Neither man would ever forget the words they'd heard their best friends whisper to each other. Whispered, moaned, teased as they'd slumped in the backseats, bodies loose and heavy. No matter how loud they turned up the music they could hear their passengers giggling. Their ears were still burning as they manhandled them through the hallways towards Lanie.

"Oh my…" the Doctor whistled as the detective and the writer burst through the doors, whooping with laughter and trying to dance around their handlers to get at each other.

"Can we just sedate them?" boomed an irate Esposito getting yet another elbow to the face. Followed by a drawn out "Sorrrrrryyyy" from Beckett who attempted to sooth his cheek with her hand. A hand which then travelled down his neck, traced the muscles of his arm, moved to his waist.

"Woah girl!" he barked, throwing her off as Beckett giggled and waggled her eyebrows.

"She's right," Castle grinned and stepped closer. "Your muscles are niiiice."

Esposito turned panicked eyes towards the Doctor. "Lanie! Help!"

The Doctor suddenly had two pairs of wide, glassy eyes turned on her.

"Lanie, you're so smart," Castle exclaimed and took a few steps towards the her.

"Smart is _sexy_," Beckett agreed, stumbling forward at his side.

"Holy sweet lord," breathed Lanie throwing her hands up in case she needed to defend herself. "If what I think is going on is going on, no, no sedatives. I do not want to introduce anything more into their systems."

"Introduce!" squealed Beckett.

"Iiiintroduce," parroted Castle.

"Let me introduce!" Beckett proclaimed dramatically, trying to twist her legs into a semblance of a curtsy. "Katherine Houghton Beckett!"

Castle bowed. "Richard Edgar Alexander Ca… no… Rogers… Umm…"

Kate pointed her finger at him and doubled over with laughter. "Can't… can't even…" She clapped her hands together and in glee.

"But you know what I can do…" Castle smirked and her laughter cut off like he'd flipped a switch.

"I do," her voice was low and deep, another person entirely.

They didn't pounce this time, weren't wild, just steady and sure, gathering one another in their arms and fusing mouths like they were two halves of one whole.

Lanie's eyebrows were practically hitting her hairline when the boys looked at her and helplessly shrugged.

"As amusing as this is right now," the Doctor finally got out, "I'm afraid it might turn ugly real fast. We need blood samples."

"Hey, guys," Espo called, edging towards them with a revolted look on his face. They weren't tearing each other's clothes off this time but… He cautiously poked Castle in the arm but got no response. "Guys!" he called louder. Castle turned them in place then backed Beckett up against a table, the detective moaning when she hit it, Castle's momentum pushing him into her.

"Woah now!" Lanie called. "You're lucky there's no body on that!"

"Well there will be soon!" Ryan warned as Castle gripped Beckett's ass and hoisted her up onto it.

"Oh hell no," Lanie shook her head. "Kate Beckett I may pry for details of your sex life but I do _not_ need to be an active witness!" She stormed to the other side of the table, leaned forward, and shoved hard on Beckett's back. The detective squealed in surprise and tumbled forward off the table and into Castle. The man groaned but she somehow managed to wrap her legs around his waist instead of hitting the floor. He gripped her thighs and stumbled a few steps back, his leg hitting a chair that rested against the wall. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up while the other fumbled about trying to find the arm of the chair. Beckett bounced as he promptly collapsed backwards into it, rising up and straddling him, more than happy with the new arrangement.

Their friends looked on with looks of equal horror and wonder as the couple devoured each other.

"Damn," Espo murmured.

"Well, they're certainly… in love…" Ryan tried.

"So long as they don't go any further, that's good enough," Lanie said, moving to grab some supplies.

It seemed the soon to be husband and wife were content to just make out for the time being, staying relatively stationary as Lanie drew blood from them both. They didn't even acknowledge the prick of the needle or Lanie's voice as she needlessly talked them through it.

"It's going to take some time to analyze this," Lanie told them, anxiously looking at the still embracing couple.

"So here's a question…" pondered Ryan. "This Nectar stuff supposedly wipes out all preconceptions and inhibitions… could make anyone love anyone. Yet they're still, for the most part, only going for each other… what's up with that?"

"Well…" Lanie started slowly. "When two people are in a relationship, there's obviously a lot of chemical reactions that occur. Pheremones, hormones, things like dopamine. Over time, people do become physically attuned to their partner. I guess their connection is strong enough that, at least so far, it's still winning out over the drugs."

"They're just that much in love?" Esposito scoffed.

"Guess so," the Doctor shrugged, unable to help shooting a wistful look at her friends. Espo let out a grunt of disgust.

"Then what do we do with them?" he wondered.

"Do we let them…?" suggested Ryan.

"Not in my morgue they ain't," Lanie scoffed. "Do you know how many breakable, flammable, dangerous things are in here?"

"Well we can't really let them go home, can we? If they have indeed been exposed to Nectar than we can't let them out of our sights. Who knows what they could do, where they'd end up?"

"No way am I watching those two get it on," Espo waved his hands in the air. "No way."

"I don't think any of us want to, Javi," Kevin retorted.

"So what then?"

"I have an idea, but…" Lanie trailed off.

The boys looked at her with hope bordering on desperation. The couple on the chair was starting to moan and hands were wandering.

"There's an empty supply room down the hall," Lanie admitted. "Just cleared out for a complete reorganization and restock. Nothing to break, mostly soundproof, clean…"

The detectives looked at each other and nodded.

"It'll have to do."

They took deep breaths and warily advanced towards their friends. Hands had definitely wandered; Beckett's shirt was completely open and Castle's zipper was undone. Espo cringed but went in for the kill, grabbing hold of Beckett's waist and pulling her back. She keened but Castle stood up with her without need of encouragement. The boys carefully herded them out in the hall, gently pushing them towards the room Lanie mentioned, picking up shirts and belts as they dropped to the floor. A few minutes later Espo locked the door with a sigh and let his forehead fall to thump against the door.

"Never, in all my years on the force…"

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Certainly didn't expect things like this when I signed up for the academy."

"Thank god this place is quiet today."

What would they have done if a group of cops had arrived, wheeling in a new body? How would they explain shoving a half dressed homicide detective and her fiancé into an empty storage locker? Even the guys in Vice had never had to do that.

Lanie needed to come up with something, _anything_, to help them.

Before it was too late.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

_So I obviously took some liberties/made some generalities with regards to the science of love. But hey, it's basically all correct and shoot, if anyone can prove it it's Castle and Beckett. *sigh* Do you agree?_


	8. Chapter 8

_Previously on…_

"_Never, in all my years on the force…"_

"_Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Certainly didn't expect things like this when I signed up for the academy." _

"_Thank god this place is quiet today." _

_What would they have done if a group of cops had arrived, wheeling in a new body? How would they explain shoving a half dressed homicide detective and her fiancé into an empty storage locker? Even the guys in Vice had never had to do that._

_Lanie needed to come up with something, anything, to help them._

_Before it was too late._

* * *

Detectives Ryan and Esposito took turns guarding the mostly-but-not-fully-soundproof door while Lanie conducted the necessary tests. She thanked the Lord several times that she hadn't been busy with a fresh body. She was not about to hand this off to a random lab tech. Once she'd gotten the ball rolling she _would_ put out a call to one of her colleagues, though. Lanie was good but she wasn't a specialist, and this situation required one. As she'd said the couple's antics were amusing right then but she could already tell they had indeed been drugged with Nectar, so had a potentially deadly problem. In her first free moment she also forwarded her preliminary results to the main lab to get them working on an antidote or neutralizer. The more she thought about the problem the more worried she grew. This thing was just so completely new, completely different. The variation between the two dead couple's dosages worried her even more. Beckett and Castle had been given yet another new permutation thus making any predictions regarding effects, timelines, and danger all the more difficult.

Esposito entered the lab a while later. "They've, uh… gone quiet. For now."

"Good timing, but for bad news."

"What'd you find?"

"They've definitely been drugged with Nectar."

A few Spanish curses flew from his mouth.

"I'm with you on that. As I suspected the levels of specific components have been altered again."

"To what end?"

"Well the actual poison content has been significantly decreased which is a very good thing, but everything else…"

"What are you saying, Lanie?"

There was fear in her eyes. "I don't know if we'll be able to help them, Javi."

"No, no way. That is unacceptable."

"They're only going to get worse."

"How did they even get exposed in the first place?"

At that Lanie frowned. "I have no idea… I didn't see any injection marks on their arms when I took blood. It must have happened sometime during their abduction though, yeah?"

Esposito's brow furrowed, thinking hard over what they'd told him about it. "I don't know," he growled. "They didn't mention anything about falling unconscious, or eating or drinking anything… oh, wait! They said they were frisked, thoroughly, and the guys were wearing gloves. Is there any way this thing could be applied topically?"

"I would normally say absolutely not but with all the craziness I've already seen… maybe they found a way."

"Holy hell," Espo breathed. "If it was on their skin… could they have passed it on to someone else?"

Lanie shook her head. "I don't think so. Something this virulent? It would have been absorbed instantly and completely."

"Small mercies."

Their heads turned as the morgue doors opened to reveal Ryan.

"When can we, uh… let them out?"

"Let them be for another while. We need to come up with a plan."

"Are you sure? The other couple's died while doing what they're doing… shouldn't we make sure they, y'know, don't?"

"You have fun checking in on them, bro," Esposito clapped him on the shoulder.

Ryan grimaced but nodded and left to resume his guard.

"We've gotta call Gates," Esposito reluctantly admitted. "Decide what happens next."

* * *

Gates was unsurprisingly irate.

"My best detective and her partner have been _what_?"

"Drugged, Sir," Esposito repeated.

"With the same concoction that has already killed four people? Created by the men _you_ still haven't found?"

"Yes, Sir."

"The one that causes people to lose their minds and fornicate their way to death?"

"Yes… Sir."

The Captain sighed and rubbed a hand across her forehead though Espo couldn't see her. "Of course it would happen to _them_," she muttered. "Well where are they right now?"

Esposito cringed and Lanie ran a hand down his arm in support. "We have them… secure, Sir."

"Their status?"

"Uh… They're definitely under the full influence of the drug by now, Sir."

"Put on Doctor Parish please."

He handed the phone over and Lanie stood up straighter. She rarely had dealings with the ironclad Captain.

"Captain, Sir."

"Doctor, do you have any leads yet on something that could cure this thing?"

"No, Sir."

"How about something to at least temper it's effects?"

"I might be able to give them something to lower their blood pressure but that's about it. There is one other thing I could try to calm them down and get them lucid but I'd only be willing to try it once."

"And after that?"

"Well… the only thing I can say, really, is to let it run its course."

"Four victims, Doctor Parish."

"Yes, Sir, but they probably didn't know what was going on. They didn't have a support team to help them through it."

"Help them through?"

"Sir, if we can just stick with them through the course of their intoxication, make sure they eat and drink, get _some_ rest…"

"What about the poisonous elements?"

"Significantly lowered in their case. I don't know why. Maybe it is meant to be a love potion after all?"

"Love potion?"

"Castle's words, Sir."

"Why am I not surprised."

There was a pause while the Captain considered.

"Very well. I'll call the lab myself and make sure they keep working on an antidote but in the meantime I'm assigning you to Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle full time."

"Sir?"

"I'm assuming the best place for them to… carry out their intoxication would be at their home. Monitor them, keep their vitals stable, do everything you said about keeping them nourished. Make sure they don't physically injure themselves and make sure they don't get out of that apartment. Let's just pray to God they get over it quickly."

The phone clicked and Lanie stared at Javier.

"Have I just been ordered to be on sex watch for my best friends?"

"You sure have, chica."

"What the hell am I supposed to do? Just waltz in every few hours while they're doing their thing, rip 'em apart and force feed them like babies?"

"Gotta do what you gotta do," he shrugged.

"Oh no. Javier Esposito you do not get to be smug about this. Those two are only gonna get worse than they already are so I'm going to need some enforcers with me."

"Woah, hey now…"

"There is no way I can pull them apart by myself. You really think they'd want random uni cops seeing them like that? Imagine if it were you!"

He pulled a face.

"Yeah. Exactly. We are their friends. It falls to us."

"Ain't nowhere in the friend rule book that covers this kind of situation," he groused.

"Friend rule book?"

"You know what I mean!"

"Hey, am I interrupting something?" Ryan poked his head through the doors.

"Nah, bro," Esposito shrugged. "Just discussing how we all have just been assigned to official sex watch."

"Official what now?"

"Lanie here," he nodded, "Has decided that the best thing for Castle and Beckett is to let them ride this out."

Ryan cringed at his choice of words.

"So for the next… yo, Lanie, how long do you think this is gonna take?"

"I'd say at least two days, if not more."

"Two whole days? You serious?"

"Probably more."

Espo sighed. "For the next few days we have to make sure they don't starve or die of dehydration or try jump out of any windows."

"Oh… Well. This is going to be an interesting call to Jenny."

They suddenly heard a loud thump echo from down the hall.

"Oh crap!"

They ran down the dim hallway, fumbling with the locked door for a moment before throwing it open. Clothes were in pieces, strewn about the mid-size closet. The lovers themselves were in a heap in the back left corner, limbs tangled, hair knotted, skin shiny with sweat as they laughed against each other. No indication of what the thump was could be found.

"Oh god!" Javi cried at the sight of so much skin, putting a hand in front of his face and turning away. "I do not need to see Castle's…"

"Get used to it, man," Ryan intoned gloomily.

"Not something I ever want to get used to. I'll help you guys pull 'em apart but nobody said I had to have my eyes open to do it!"

"But then imagine where your hands could accidentally end up!"

"Oh God…"

"Guess I've got to go find some extra scrubs," Lanie sighed, turning around.

Ryan swiftly shut the door. No need to see _that_ for longer than was absolutely necessary. When Lanie came back a few minutes later he gestured her forward. "You're the Doctor. You're used to working with naked bodies."

"Dead ones!"

"Yeah, well…"

She huffed and narrowed her eyes but entered the room alone.

Several long minutes later, with several muffled shouts and weird noises Lanie opened the door. She looked slightly green.

"Let's go."

The boys drew them carefully out of the room but the second they were out Beckett bolted.

"Woah!" cried Ryan as she flew right past him, laughing and skipping down the hall. Castle lurched to follow her but was heavier, slower, and Espo got him in a hold with relative ease. While Ryan followed the trail of Beckett's tinkling laughter Lanie took off in the opposite direction, reaching to grab the morgue phone and call security. Beckett was already at the elevators by the time Ryan caught up but he wasn't even needed. She stopped herself just before stepping into the elevator, turned, frowned, then started running back, right towards them.

"Castle!" She headed straight for her partner, reaching out to stroke his face and clutch his hair.

"Kate," he sighed contentedly and as she reached up to kiss him they were lost in each other once more.

"It's okay, we've got her!" Ryan called down the hallway to Lanie who hurriedly talked into the phone to cancel her request.

* * *

Castle suddenly broke out in a laugh, cutting off the flow of the story.

"Dad!"

"I'm sorry, son, but… I just thought of something!" He looked around at his wife and teammates, already cracking up as he said "Is there a police code for naked detective on the loose?" They groaned, none of them ever able to forget the infamous zombie incident.

"I wasn't naked," corrected Kate. "I was in scrubs."

"Close enough," he grinned.

She shook her head with exasperated affection. "May we continue?"

"By all means!"

It was time to get _really_ censored.

* * *

They wrangled the couple back into the morgue so Lanie could take their vitals and administer a test dose of blood pressure stabilizers. The tests took more than twice as long as it should have. When Lanie poked, they giggled. When she tried to ascertain heart rate Beckett stole the stethoscope and tried to bind Castle's hands together as she laughed throatily, eyebrows waggling as she purred "Remember the time we…" When Lanie tried to grab their arms to wrap pressure cuffs their limbs fluidly avoided her while managing to always maintain contact with each other. When the Doctor finally got them on and started the inflation Castle startled so hard he fell off the chair he was in, taking Beckett and Lanie down into a tumble of limbs, shouts, and more giggles. When she was finally done Lanie felt like she'd just run a gauntlet. The boys, assisting when they could, were rather shaken themselves. The doctor gave them half an hour to absorb the blood pressure stabilizers before she felt safe enough to give them a small dose of something to clear their heads just long enough to brief them on what was happening, though they were most likely to not even remember it.

"We're… what?" Beckett slurred.

"You were exposed to Nectar," Lanie repeated. The detective's eyes went wide.

"Oh shit!"

"Exactly, honey," Lanie nodded.

"When?" Castle piped up.

"We think it was yesterday when you guys were abducted. You were patted down by guys in gloves? We think they applied it topically."

"Tried to get those bastards t'stop touching you," Castle grumbled. Beckett turned loving eyes on him.

"Oh no, no doe-eye loveballs for you," Lanie touched her friend's face and guided her gaze back to her.

"We haven't found an antidote so we have no choice but to try to let it run its course," she explained.

"But Lanie!" Kate gulped. "Everyone's died!"

"You were given a different version than them. And you have us to help you!"

"Help?"

"You guys are going to lose your minds again pretty quickly and I do not feel comfortable giving you anything more to keep you coherent. We're going to take you guys back to the loft and let you…"

"Fuck it off?" Kate supplied bluntly.

Lanie shrugged.

"I sense more to this story."

The Doctor turned to Castle. "Well we… the boys and I, we're gonna… assist you, through it all."

"Excuse me!" He stood up. "I do not need assisting, thank you very much, I'm pretty sure I know how to…"

"Not like that you big oaf," she slapped his arm. "I'm going to come in periodically and check your vitals, make sure things don't get too out of wack, keep you nourished and hydrated."

"How are you going to do that if we're going to be constantly… you know."

She pursed her lips grimly. "We'll just have to figure it out."

"Oh God," Beckett moaned hiding her face behind her hands. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Hey, be glad it wasn't straight cyanide!"

"I suppose."

"At least _we_ were the ones drugged," said Castle. "What if it had been you and Ryan? Or Lanie and I?"

Kate looked up sharply, eyes darting around the circle of friends imagining all the pairs that could have been. She recalled some of the thoughts she'd had about her friends that day. She shuddered. "Yeah. There is that… and on that subject, aren't we supposed to have no inhibitions towards anyone? Why do we still try to get back to each other?"

Lanie and Ryan both turned smirking smiles towards Esposito, who scowled back.

"Cause you're sooo in love," he finally crooned, "That even messed up with love drugs, you still find a way back to only each other. There's sciency stuff involved."

The couple's faces blushed but their embarrassed smiles also held a rather large amount of smugness.

"Well, if we survive this, at least I know for sure you'll never cheat on me, no matter what." mused Castle, always looking on the bright side of things.

"Castle!" Beckett gasped. "You know I would nev…"

"Alright, alright," Lanie interrupted. "We all know you're both loyal. Now back to the matter of _if_ we survive; do we have your permission to call Alexis and Martha and have them clear out for the next few days? Grab keys and stuff from them?"

"Days!?"

"At least two, possibly up to five, I'd say."

"Please don't tell them any details," Castle begged. "I just… my daughter…"

"Don't worry Castle. We've got your backs."

"Apparently you'll soon be seeing a lot more of our backs, too," he griped.

Beckett just hid behind her hands again. Never in her life had she expected to be sitting in a circle with her closest friends and partners discussing how to keep her and Castle alive through a drug induced sexual frenzy. What a life. She rubbed her hands together and frowned when touching her wrists hurt. She looked down and saw reddened skin. Had Castle been holding her down? She looked up to see Castle watching her hands with a triumphant grin on his face. _Oh yeah_. He had. Heat washed over her so quickly she gasped, her eyes going wide and lips parting, heart racing like she was in the middle of running a marathon.

"Oh no," Lanie breathed. "We're losing them."

"We're fine," rasped Beckett. "Just… do what you have to." She was already rising out of her chair, drawn to Castle like they were magnets helplessly caught in each other's pull. In seconds they were lost to the world.

"Gonna be the longest three days of my life," declared Javi.

"Two to five," Ryan inanely amended.

Lanie took a deep breath. "Well. Let's do this."

_To Be Continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

_Previously on…_

"_Oh no," Lanie breathed. "We're losing them."_

"_We're fine," rasped Beckett. "Just… do what you have to." She was already rising out of her chair, drawn to Castle like they were magnets helplessly caught in each other's pull. In seconds they were lost to the world. _

"_Gonna be the longest three days of my life," declared Javi._

"_Two to five," Ryan inanely amended. _

_Lanie took a deep breath. "Well. Let's do this."_

* * *

Castle and Beckett became the first couple in history to be sanctioned to have sex in the back of a police car. Lanie had determined they were highly likely to seriously injure themselves if separated and that for their own safety they had to stay together. Espo and Ryan told her straight up that _she_ would be the one who had to drive Beckett's cruiser back to the loft. The heaviest pair of earplugs she could find were not enough. The rocking of the car was… Well. It was a drive she would never forget.

Esposito and Ryan arrived just behind her, opening their mouths to crack a joke as soon as she stepped out but the finger she immediately pointed fiercely in their direction stopped them short.

"Do. Not. Even. Think. About. It." She hissed.

Esposito gulped and ran into the building to warn Eduardo that his tenants had been in an accident and were in an extreme state of behavior. The long term doorman expressed his concerns for his secretly favourite residents but agreed to vacate the lobby for a few minutes to let them be brought in in peace. He also locked down the second elevator for their exclusive use. The well-meaning man could not, however, lock down the street outside. It was a relatively quiet neighbourhood but even so more than a few innocent passersby got an unexpected show as the three friends tried to cover the now half-dressed couple with blankets and shuffle them inside while they continued to try to at least make out.

Eduardo, sitting in the small staff room studiously ignoring the lobby security feed, frowned at the bizarre noises and muffled shouts seeping in through the door. The Castle's used to be such a quiet, simple family… Well, Ms. Rodgers had never been quiet or simple and Mr. Castle used to be quite the hellraiser, but ever since Ms. Beckett had entered their lives… he never knew quite what to expect. It was amazing what one could tell about a person's state of mind by how they entered a building and walked to the elevator. For years Mr. Castle would practically bounce through the lobby, his new "occupation" filling him with a sense of purpose he'd never had before. Then, for a while, his feet would drag, his face was shadowed, his eyes haunted. But then one night Ms. Beckett had run through across the floor like her life depended on it, leaving a wet trail behind her as her rain soaked form threw open the door to the stairwell, unable to wait for the elevator. After that she was there all the time with a huge smile on her face. Mr. Castle was more bouncy than ever. After nearly twenty years with the building Eduardo could honestly say the last few years had been the best, and that he was enjoying his time more than ever before. Never a dull day!

He heard a sudden thump that interrupted his reminiscing. He wondered if he should assist but the lobby had gone silent. After several long moments he deemed it safe to exit. The lobby was empty but there was something crumpled on the ground by the elevator which he hurried to pick up.

It was a medical scrub shirt in Ms. Beckett's size. It was torn in two.

Eduardo frowned, delicately folding the pieces as he brought it back to the staff room to return to them later.

Never a dull day.

* * *

Meanwhile in the elevator…

* * *

"Oh God," Javi sputtered, "No, Castle, seriously, you…"

"Girl!" Lanie shrieked. "Do not put that there!"

"Was that your hand, Espo, 'cause I love you bro but not like that."

"Wasn't my hand, man, it was…"

"Never mind, I don't even want to know."

Two feminine hands and a clever foot suddenly started to wander. Beckett howled with laughter as two cops and a doctor simultaneously jumped and yelled.

"WOAH!"

"HEllo…"

"Hey now!"

Castle laughed so hard his shaking body rocked Beckett right into the elevator wall. Her hands became occupied once more, frantic, and Espo got another elbow to the face. Ryan narrowly avoided a knee to the groin as Beckett's leg wrapped around Castle's waist. He sent a silent thank you heavenward that he'd already had a child. By the time they'd risen to Castle's floor the man was down to a pair of scrub pants with one leg torn off. Beckett's were now short shorts.

"I didn't know these things were so easily torn," Ryan wondered aloud.

"Neither did I," Lanie admitted.

They heard a loud rip and a squeal of triumph. Unable to resist the morbid, lurid curiosity three heads glanced towards the pair and got a close up view of Castle's bare backside being squeezed by Beckett's hands.

"Burn my eyeballs," Espo moaned. "Just burn them."

"Get them in that apartment _NOW_!" Ryan bellowed.

The boys herded the amorous pair towards the door at the end of the hall as Lanie turned the key with shaking hands, adrenaline, embarrassment, horror, jealousy all running through her veins. She threw open the door with relief and held it for the boys who with a final heave pushed the couple in. They tripped over each other's feet and with a great "Whoop!" fell to the floor just inside the door. There was a brief moment of pure silence before Castle moved, Beckett moaned, and they started fulfilling their body's demands.

"I am so done!" Lanie exclaimed, and slammed the door on them, leaning back against it and slumping to the floor.

The boys stood still, slightly dazed, for a few long moments before joining her on the ground.

"So what now?" Ryan finally asked in a hushed, tired voice.

"I need to go get my supplies from the car," Lanie said making no move to get up.

"I have a deck of cards in mine," supplied Ryan.

"Are we technically on duty right now or can I have a beer? Or a bottle of whiskey?" Javier inquired.

Something kicked against the door from inside the loft. The teammates collectively sighed, slowly making their way to standing.

So it begins.

* * *

"And that's how you came to be," Kate finished quickly, her cheeks faintly red.

"What?" Jaime cried. "That's it?"

"Well we obviously survived. You do _not_ need to know the rest."

"So you don't actually know when or how I was conceived. I'm just the accidental byproduct of a mad romp fest?" Jaime's face was twisted in a way only a teenage girl could manage.

"To heck with you, Jaim, what about the case?" Ben complained. "The Arbitros guys? Revolutionary drugs that could kill everyone?"

"Kevin?" asked Kate.

"Well…"

* * *

They were going crazy. It was only the second day and they were already so done with it all. Castle's door was soundproof but every time they had to open it and go in… Not okay. They'd taken to wearing heavy duty earplugs and had hung air fresheners all over the loft, opening windows whenever Castle and Beckett were being cared for by Lanie. The blood pressure stabilizers helped prevent them from going ballistic when she separated them. She'd had to attach them to I.V's once a day in addition to force-feeding them. The boys helped her clear up any broken glass, furniture, anything. Castle was _not_ going to be happy when he regained his sanity. What really drove them mad, though, was that the case was breaking and they couldn't be at the precinct to help.

They consulted as best they could by phone but take-downs were happening, labs were being found and suspects were being interrogated while they were stuck in Castle's hallway playing card games and reading books. Pete, the missing brother of their original victim Kyle Swaslie had even finally showed up, and they'd missed it. Turns out he'd missed his initial appointment because his wife had gone into labour; He was the only brother of the six who'd actually made an honest life for himself. He'd had Kyle over a week before his death, trying one last time to encourage him to turn his life around. Kyle had refused, gotten drunk, and blurted out all kinds of things about Nectar and Brazillians that Pete had thought was just drunken gibberish. The detectives at the Twelfth Precinct had been able to string together what Pete remembered into viable information. It led them to a warehouse filled to the brim with Nectar production. Steveson, the slimy head of the Children of Chaos, immediately turned on Os Arbitros, claiming he was just a simple buyer of goods who hadn't known they would be turned into a deadly drug.

Kyle Swaslie had been a simple pawn stupid enough to volunteer for testing thinking he would gain status and a free supply of the drug. Natalie was an unfortunate victim of his greed. By the time the poison had run through Kate and Rick's systems after three more long days Cardoso and his lieutenants had been found and convicted. Cardoso had admitted he'd drugged Castle and Beckett simply for fun, and experiment to see if Nectar could be just a love potion after all, though it's intended use was indeed as a poison. Everything had been neatly wrapped up with court dates scheduled.

* * *

"So… basically," Jaime surmised, "Everyone else at the Twelfth Precinct took down one of the most potentially dangerous drug ops of all time…"

"Hey!" Javier protested. "We started the whole thing! Laid the foundation upon which they then…"

"Okay, fine, you guys did most of the heavy lifting but then missed all the actual take downs and arrests and interrogations because you were babysitting our parents while they..."

The Latino scowled. Ryan looked like his puppy had been kicked.

"Maybe I didn't need to know all this…" Benjamin frowned. "I was hoping for big drama and sweet take down stories and, not… other ones."

"I warned you," Kate shook her head. Her son scowled.

"So was there any fallout?" Jaime asked. "I mean… The poison just completely wore off?" She suddenly looked horrified. "None of it was transferred to _me_, was it? If I was conceived with you guys like… that… Is it going to suddenly manifest in me and turn me into some kind of… puberty is hard enough!"

"No, girl, no!" Lanie assured her. "You wouldn't believe the amount of testing we did throughout your mom's pregnancy, and on you once you were born. You are completely and utterly normal."

"Well I wouldn't go _that_ far," Castle joked. His daughter slapped his arm.

"There was just a lot of home furnishing shopping and apologies for accidental come-ons," Kate said, still red faced.

"I can't believe you checked out Iron Gates," Ben looked wide eyed at his father. "And survived."

The now retired Captain enjoyed playing up her role as a harshly strict taskmaster for the young boy and everyone laughed at his display of fear. They all knew Victoria actually loved him. Even so, they were all glad she wasn't present for this particular family tale.

"Well to be fair, she sure can work a skirt!" Castle grinned. This time Kate swatted at him.

"It was pretty hilarious for a while," Jenny piped up. "The way these guys would avoid eye contact."

Kate, Rick, Javier, Kevin and Lanie all shifted uncomfortably.

"No touching," Jenny continued. "Couldn't even fist bump each other for, what, a few months?"

"This story was supposed to embarrass _them_," Ryan groused at his wife.

"Oh you want to talk embarrassing?" Martha said. "Alexis and I gave them more than enough hell."

Alexis smirked. "Oh yeah. The state of this place when we got back home… The detectives tried to keep us away longer but refused to say why. We just didn't understand and came back anyways. Thank God Kate and Dad had already been taken to the hospital to get checked over cause if they'd still been…"

"Yes," Martha picked up. "Once we found out the real reason for our forced departure… well, you know I can't resist a good ribbing." She elbowed Alexis with a knowing wink. The actress moved slower now, didn't run out at night and disappear till the morning, but Martha Rogers was still a force to be reckoned with.

Jaime and Ben were used to their grandmother's special airs and had no desire to ask what she'd actually said to their parents.

"Well," Jaime announced clapping her hands on her knees then standing up. "I have enough lurid imagery packed in my head to last the next… long time. I'm going to my room to cleanse my brain with some solid reading."

Ben jumped up as well. "Can I go to the Cave?"

Before his son had even been born Castle had insisted that since he would no longer be the only male of the house that a "Man Cave" needed to be established where they could go do "Man things". The room of course housed a gigantic television and more gaming systems than anyone could ever need. Castle looked at his wife, who nodded. Ben ran off.

"Guess I'll follow the trend," Alexis stood up. "I have to be getting home. Damien's on night shift tonight and the babysitter has to leave by 8."

"I must say," Lanie said once kisses and hugs had been exchanged and all kids were gone. "I'm surprised you told them that story. They're still so young!"

"Had to come out eventually," Kate shrugged.

"Well they took it very well, all things considered," Ryan praised. "You raised them well."

The Castles grinned and ducked their heads. Rick slipped his hand into his wife's. "We sure did," he agreed smiling softly at her. She sighed and nodded.

"Damn," Javi suddenly stood up. "15 years and every time you guys do doe eyes I _still_ get flashbacks!" He shuddered dramatically and everyone laughed.

"Well you're just going to have to deal with it," Kate said. "Cause we're never gonna stop. Right babe?"

"Right," Castle nodded sharply. Kate grinned and gave him a quick kiss. He grinned back and kissed her a little harder, a little longer.

"And that's our cue to leave!" Lanie announced, standing up next to her husband.

"Yup," Jenny nodded.

Castle and Beckett continued to hold hands as their friends gathered coats, purses and shoes. A chorus of "Are you sure that Nectar ever fully left their systems? Cause those two… sometimes I wonder…" trailed out the door as their friends filed out. Once the door finally clicked shut Castle blew out a breath and leaned back against it.

"Crazy family."

"Yup," Beckett nodded as she stepped into him and wound her arms around his middle, letting her cheek fall against his broad chest.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Nope." She stood up on her toes and nuzzled her nose against his. He wrapped his arms around her.

"So…" said Castle.

"So…"

"All this… reminiscing," he said slowly.

"Hmm?" Kate's hands started to wander.

"Just, y'know, has me thinking…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Thinking what?"

"That maybe we could, y'know, reenact some of those glory days?"

"Oh Castle," she chuckled darkly. "We're still _in_ our glory days."

She kissed him. Hard. When she finally let up he sucked in air like a drowning man.

"So true," he wheezed. "Are you _sure_ that stuff didn't have any lasting effects?"

"Baby, we never needed any love potion. This is _all_ us."

She started leading him to their bedroom but he suddenly pulled back on her hand and gathered her into him with a move that made certain parts meet certain parts and she gasped.

"Yes," he agreed huskily. "It is."

She giggled. He kissed her. They barely made it to the bedroom.

**The End**

* * *

Well!? What do ya think!? I can't thank everyone who reviewed enough; My face hurt from smiling so hard. I know lots of you will probably be surprised this is over so soon… It might seem a bit abrupt that I skipped right to the end but I felt I couldn't really continue all the banter and madness without it turning into a story ONLY about Lanie and the boys or *Ahem* changing the rating, which I didn't want to do. I actually hadn't even written all the stuff about getting them into the loft until JUST now!

That being said…

I couuuuld maaaybe be persuaded to do a separate piece detailing The Days at The Loft ;) That all depends on YOUR feedback!

Thank you for sticking it through this oddball lil story of mine :) 9 Chapters... Love Potion #9... get it!? Till next time! MS xoxoxo


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